Piedmont celebrates decade of quality transformation that made it Georgia's safest health system

Atlanta (July 22, 2026) – What began as a call to action following a disappointing hospital safety grade has evolved into one of the most successful quality and safety transformations in healthcare.

Piedmont highlighted the results of its decade-long quality journey, a systemwide effort that has made Piedmont Georgia’s leading nonprofit health system for patient safety while expanding access to care across the state. The story, which can be accessed at https://www.piedmont.org/qualityjourney, is detailed in a new white paper, “‘A’ by May: Piedmont’s Quality Journey.”

In 2014, after Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, the system’s founding hospital, received a low rating from the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, Piedmont Healthcare President and CEO Kevin Brown challenged the organization to achieve an A grade by the following marking period. Thus began the campaign: “‘A’ by May.” Rather than focusing solely on outcomes, Piedmont reimagined its approach by emphasizing process improvement, prevention and transparency.

The results have been significant. Over the past two years, Piedmont hospitals earned 31 “A” grades from The Leapfrog Group — more than any health system in Georgia. Today, Piedmont ranks in the top third nationally among like-sized health systems for safety performance.

“Our experience has shown that higher quality care leads to better outcomes, greater efficiency and lower costs,” Brown said. “By focusing relentlessly on safety and quality, we have improved the care experience for patients, strengthened our workforce and created the foundation for sustainable growth.”

Central to the transformation was a shift toward standardized processes, real-time performance dashboards and a culture that empowers every employee to speak up about safety concerns. Piedmont introduced “Promise Packages,” evidence-based checklists embedded within its electronic health record system, and adopted a variety of vigorous improvement methodologies, such as Lean Six Sigma, to proactively identify and eliminate risks.

These efforts have produced measurable clinical improvements. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections declined by 60% between 2016 and 2025, while serious safety events decreased by 80% to 90% as the use of error-prevention tools expanded across the organization. Patient satisfaction also improved significantly, with Net Promoter Scores rising 12 points since 2016.

The quality transformation has enabled continuous improvement as the Piedmont system has expanded. Since 2012, the system has expanded from five hospitals to 28 and nearly 2,000 care locations, serving approximately 85% of Georgia’s population and 4.5 million patients annually.

As Piedmont marks the 10-year anniversary of the implementation of steps that put it on its current quality and safety journey, the organization continues to advance its mission of delivering high-quality, patient-centered care while strengthening access for communities throughout Georgia.