University Hospitals Geauga Medical Center has received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

This national distinction celebrates UH Geauga Medical Center’s achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors, according to a news release. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.

“UH Geauga’s high-performing teams work daily toward improving patient outcomes,” stated Jason Glowczewski, chief operating officer of  UH Geauga, Conneaut, and Geneva medical centers, in the release. “All caregivers are encouraged to actively advocate for their patients, which leads to our culture of shared responsibility and accountability.

“We are a community hospital that truly values our sense of community amongst our caregivers, residents, physicians, non-clinical staff and leaders – and we are a provider of choice for our community.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, stated in the release. “But this hospital received an ‘A’ despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients, according to the release. The grading system is peer-reviewed, transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

To see UH Geauga Medical Center’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.