“We have
taken a position that each person working at the Medical
Center is accountable for ensuring and
improving patient safety,” said Dr. Hagop Mekhjian, chief medical officer for Ohio State’s
Wexner Medical Center. “Approaching this responsibility as a team
creates a culture of safety that helps to protect patients from infections,
injuries, and medical errors.”
Recognition
of Ohio State’s patient safety record by a
respected third-party is significant, added Mekhjian. “The rankings help validate
our own efforts to improve patient safety and gives consumers another tool for evaluating
hospitals for their own medical needs or for those of a family member.”
The Hospital Safety Score website –
www.hospitalsafetyscore.org – allows visitors to search hospital scores for
free, and also provides information on how the public can protect themselves
and loved ones during a hospital stay.
“The
Leapfrog Group’s goal is to give patients the vital information they need and
deserve before even entering a hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO
of The Leapfrog Group. “We hope people will use this score to talk with their
doctor, make informed decisions about where to seek care, and take the right
precautions during a hospital stay.”
The Leapfrog Group’s membership of employers and other
purchasers of health benefits, and business coalitions on health across the
country, will be working to engage communities, employers, health plans, and
hospitals in using the Hospital Safety Score to improve safety. The Hospital
Safety Score will be reissued using updated data in November 2012, with an
annual Hospital Safety Score to follow in 2013 and beyond.
#
# #
Contact: David
Crawford, Public Affairs and Media Relations, the Ohio State University Wexner
Medical Center,
614-293-3737, or Crawford.1@osu.edu
