Central Maine Medical Center has been awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes CMMC’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States. The Leapfrog Group is a national organization 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 hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care.
“This “A” grade demonstrates the great progress we have made,” said David Tupponce, president of Central Maine Medical Center. “But we will keep working. Quality and safety are our highest priorities and we strive for consistent progress.”
“Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades recognize hospitals like CMMC that focus on advancing patient safety. This ranking provides an important resource for patients, and a benchmark for hospitals, to determine how care at one hospital compares to others in a region,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an A Hospital Safety Grade deserve to be recognized for their efforts in preventing medical harm and errors.”
Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
The emphasis on safety at CMMC has resulted in significant decreases in:
- Central-line infections
- Catheter-acquired urinary tract infections
- Surgical site infections
- Pressure ulcers (bedsores)
- Post-operative wound dehiscence (infections along incision lines).
Another big factor in CMMC’s top safety grade is the implementation of two medication safety measures, which regulate the ordering of medicine and the use of barcode technology in dispensing medicine in the hospital. Stricter electronic record-keeping reduces the chance of incorrectly dispensing medication.
Central Maine Healthcare’s commitment to safety and quality is reflected in its recent hiring of John L. Alexander, MD, as Chief Quality Officer. Alexander, who grew up in York, Maine, was until recently the chief medical officer for Steward Health Care in Boston,
“The Leapfrog score is similar to a grade you get in school—it reflects your daily work,” Alexander said. “So this “A” reflects the effort put in every day by providers, nursing staff, and all our support staff.“
The incidence of pressure ulcers has dropped dramatically at Central Maine Medical Center since the advent in 2015 of a special training program for nurses and other clinicians. The program, unique in Maine, has led to a more than 30 percent drop in the difficult condition.
A vascular access team led by nurse practitioner Warren McGlauflin has also promoted safety measures at CMMC. McGlauflin, who was the first Vascular Access Board-Certified nurse in Maine, now leads a 10-person team training others in procedures like IV insertions and blood draws. His emphasis is on fewer needle pokes and lower rates of infection.
CMMC was one of 855 across the United States awarded an A in the Fall 2018 update of grades. For details, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.
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.
