Grinnell Regional Medical Center has been named a top rural hospital by the Leapfrog Group in its annual class of top hospitals. GRMC was one of just 65 hospitals—from a field of nearly 1,200—to earn the designation, which was announced at Leapfrog’s 10th anniversary meeting on December 1 in Washington, D.C.
GRMC was also just one of five rural hospitals and the only Iowa hospital on the list.
“Earning the top hospital designation is a testament to the work of everyone in the hospital—the governing body, management, physicians, caregivers, employees, and volunteers,” says Leah Binder, chief executive of Leapfrog.
Susan Witt, chair of GRMC’s board; Laura Van Cleve, DO, president of the medical staff; and Todd Linden, president and CEO, accept GRMC’s top rural hospital award from David Knowlton, board chair of Leapfrog.Leapfrog’s 2010 list includes university and other teaching hospitals, children’s hospitals, and community hospitals in rural, suburban, and urban settings. The selection is based on the results of the Leapfrog Group’s national survey that measures hospitals’ performance in crucial areas of patient safety, quality, and costs. The results are posted on a website open to the patients and families, the public, employers, and other purchasers of healthcare. It is the most complete picture available of a hospital’s quality and safety. The website is www.leapfroggroup.org. A complete list of all top hospitals is also available at the site.
“We are extremely honored to be recognized by the Leapfrog Group for our diligent work to provide the best possible value for our patients in providing both high quality and low cost,” says Susan Witt, GRMC board chair. “Our board, medical staff, and employees have been working very hard to find added efficiencies while making quality and safety a priority. I am so proud that these efforts have been acknowledged.”
Todd C. Linden, GRMC president and CEO, adds: “It is a real tribute to the caring team of people associated with GRMC to overcome poor Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and still be identified as one of America’s best rural hospitals.”
GRMC has voluntarily adopted the Institute of Healthcare Improvement 5 Million Lives best practices since its inception as well as the Hospital Quality Alliance and the Surgical Care Improvement / Surgical Infection Prevention Care best practices. Nationally, these care standards and communication processes greatly reduce risks and improve quality in hospitals.
“Our medical center participated in a two-year TeamSTEPPS pilot program, which is an evidence-based teamwork system designed to improve patient outcomes by enhancing communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals. This type of program, along with others such as Condition H and Rapid Response teams, creates an environment for the best care to take place,” says Suzanne Cooner, GRMC vice-president of operations who oversees GRMC’s quality initiatives.
The 1,200 hospitals that publicly report their performance via the Leapfrog survey do so voluntarily. “In a way, that makes all of them top hospitals,” Binder says. “It represents an enormous commitment by the institution to not only measure what they do against tough standards, but also to work for change and be transparent about it.”
“A big part of GRMC’s success is the outstanding medical staff,” says Laura Van Cleve, DO. “As the current president of the medical staff I get the privilege of working closely with all the physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. They are truly an exceptional group of caring professionals dedicated to providing the best care possible each and every day. This award is evidence of this effort.”
The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health coverage founded a decade ago to work for improvements in healthcare safety, quality, and affordability. It is an independent advocacy group working with a broad range of partners, including hospitals and insurers. Members include Chrysler, FedEx Corporation, IBM, and Motorola, among many others. Leapfrog’s annual survey is the only voluntary effort of its kind. Leapfrog officials say they plan to expand their efforts in the months ahead to work with consumer groups.
The survey, which launched in 2001, focuses on four critical areas of patient safety:
- The prevention of medication errors
- Standards for doing high-risk procedures
- Protocols and policies to reduce medical errors and other safe practices recommended by the National Quality Forum
- Adequate nurse and physician staffing
In addition, hospitals are measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors, among other things.
Leapfrog Board Chair David Knowlton, president of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, says that qualifying for the top hospital rank grows more difficult each year as Leapfrog’s standards evolve and new standards are added.
“Leapfrog’s members, as purchasers of care, and our partners and supporters believe that the challenges for American healthcare go far beyond just keeping costs down. Making certain that patients get the right care at the right time—value-–is an equal part of the equation,” he says.
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