Fall 2020 Hospital Safety Grade marks fifth ‘A’ in a row for CMMC
Central Maine Medical Center earned its fifth ‘A’ grade in a row for hospital 
safety from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization and advocate for hospital transparency.
The national distinction announced Monday is for the Fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. It is the fifth time that CMMC has earned the highest grade possible for protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care.
“An accomplishment like this – five ‘A’s in a row – can only happen when the entire team is focused on a shared vision,” said CMMC President Steven G. Littleson, DBA, FACHE. “This achievement is the direct result of the dedication and hard work of our Central Maine Medical Center team who live our mission of providing exceptional, safe healthcare every day.”
The Leapfrog Group is driven by employers and other purchasers of healthcare and committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.
“We’re proud to have earned this recognition from The Leapfrog Group once again,” said Central Maine Healthcare Chief Medical Officer John Alexander, MD, MHCM, FACEP. “In all that we do, we strive to provide safe, reliable, high-quality care. That commitment is making a real difference for our patients and the communities we are honored to serve.”
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and healthcare workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for Central Maine Medical Center. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. healthcare system, we appreciate you putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it.”
