Elmhurst Hospital officials recently announced that the hospital has again received a grade of A in Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for Spring, 2024, another A in a streak started when the program began in the spring of 2012.
The Leapfrog recognition is based on hospital performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms.
Elmhurst Hospital is one of only three hospitals in Illinois and 15 in the country to receive A’s in every grading period since the start of the Leapfrog grading program.
“Safety is our priority,” Elmhurst Hospital President Dr. Kimberley Darey said in a phone conversation with Pioneer Press. “We have ingrained this into our culture here.”
Darey said the aim always is to make sure patients not only feel safe but are safe.
To accomplish that, Darey said not only clinical staff but also administrators make rounds not only with patients but with staff and unit leaders. And Darey herself remains deeply involved.
“It’s really important for me to not just hear it, but to see it for myself,” she said. “Everyone’s accountable for safety and everyone knows what’s going on and I believe that’s what makes the difference for us.”
A big part of that effort revolves around a daily safety huddle, a conference call with as many as 200 people, including folks from Elmhurst, Edward Hospital, and Linden Oaks Behavioral Health, what Darey called Endeavor’s south region.
“Everyone dials in every day at 8:30,” Darey said. “It’s how our safety culture is built.”
Darey noted that Elmhurst is a Planetree International organization, recognized for its excellence in person-centered care. That means patients and their families play a central role in patient care plans and decision-making.
With all that, Darey acknowledges safety and excellence in patient care require continued focus and hard work.
It’s hard to stay on top,” she said.
According to its website, the Leapfrog Group, based in Washington, D.C., has for over 20 years collected, analyzed, and published healthcare data on safety, quality, and resource use, helping consumers find high-value care, providing information needed to make better healthcare decisions.
Elmhurst Hospital is now part of Endeavor Health. Four additional Endeavor hospitals also earned an A in the spring 2024 from the Leapfrog Group: Evanston Hospital, Glenbrook Hospital, Highland Park Hospital, and Northwest Community Hospital.
The straight-A streak in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for Elmhurst Hospital is one of several recent honors, awards and recognitions related to quality and safety for Endeavor Health.
This past month, Fortune/PINC AI (Premier, Inc. AI) named Elmhurst Hospital to its list of 100 Top Hospitals in the U.S., making it the only Chicago-area hospital and one of only two in Illinois to make the list.
In 2023, Elmhurst Hospital was awarded Gold Certification for Excellence in Person-Centered Care by Planetree International. Elmhurst Hospital is one of only 97 healthcare organizations worldwide, one of 22 in the U.S., and the only hospital in Illinois to earn Gold Certification.
Graydon Megan is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
