Athens, Ga. (December 4, 2018) – The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization, recently named Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center a Top Teaching Hospital, the only hospital in Georgia and one of 53 nationally to earn this designation.
Each year, the highest-performing hospitals on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey are recognized with the Leapfrog Top Hospital Award in one of four categories: teaching, general, rural and children’s hospital. Piedmont Athens Regional was one of two hospitals in Georgia to receive top hospital recognition – the other named a Leapfrog Top Rural Hospital.
According to the Leapfrog Group, the Top Hospital Award is given to those entities that meet the high standards defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology and those that have better systems in place to prevent medication errors, have higher-quality maternity care and lower infection rates, among other safety qualities. (The Leapfrog Group does not set a predetermined number of hospitals that will receive each respective award.)
“This Top Hospital designation shows Piedmont Athens Regional’s commitment to the safety of our patients, which is demonstrated by each of our physicians, resident physicians, nurses and staff members each and every day, irrespective of his or her role,” said Charles Peck, M.D., president and CEO of Piedmont Athens Regional. “We are proud to provide high-quality healthcare close to home for our patients, while also shaping tomorrow’s physicians along the way.”
Piedmont Athens Regional launched its Graduate Medical Education program in 2016 in collaboration with the Augusta University-University of Georgia Medical Partnership, designating it as a teaching hospital. The program offers both an internal medicine residency program and transitional year residency program and provides clinical training that places emphasis on prevention, public health, patient safety and quality improvement.
“Being acknowledged as a Top Hospital is an incredible feat achieved by less than six percent of eligible hospitals nationwide,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “With this honor, Piedmont Athens Regional has established its commitment to safer and higher quality care. Providing this level of care to patients in Athens requires motivation and drive from every team member. I congratulate the board, staff and clinicians, whose efforts made this honor possible.”
In addition to the Top Hospital Methodology standards, a Leapfrog Top Hospital must also have received a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade A in the most recent round of scoring to be eligible. The Safety Grade assigns letter grades of A, B, C, D and F to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care and provides the most complete picture of patient safety in the U.S. healthcare system.
Last month, Piedmont Athens Regional received a grade of A for its efforts as the only hospital in its 17-county service area to receive an A rating in fall 2018.
“Piedmont Athens Regional takes great pride in how we care for our patients, and we’re thankful for the opportunity to pass these values along to our resident physicians,” said Robert Sinyard, M.D., chief medical officer for Piedmont Athens Regional. “We have a tremendous staff, and they deserve the credit for this accomplishment. Every day the focus is on quality and safety.”
For more information about the Leapfrog Top Hospital Award or to see Piedmont Athens Regional’s full score from the Leapfrog Group, visit leapfroggroup.org. For additional information about Piedmont Athens Regional’s safety and quality measures, visit piedmont.org/quality.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.