Kaiser Permanente Medical Centers Nationally Recognized With An 'A' Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade -11/16/22

PORTLAND, OR, November 16, 2022 – Kaiser Permanente Northwest’s Sunnyside and Westside medical centers have both received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for fall 2022. This national distinction recognizes Kaiser Permanente’s two hospitals in the Portland area for achievements in protecting patients from preventable harm and error in the hospital. 

“This recognition reflects the dedication of our Westside and Sunnyside medical center teams,” said Adam Van Den Avyle, Kaiser Permanente of the Northwest hospital administrator. “I want to thank every person—from our care givers, medical staff, and operations and facilities teams to our volunteers. Despite the ongoing challenges hospitals are facing across the nation, our staff remains committed to providing quality care for our communities, while ensuring the highest level of safety for our patients and staff.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over thirty national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. 

“With our continued “A” rating, our community can be reassured that we consistently exceed safety practices and procedures and are committed to providing them with the best care possible,” Van Den Avyle, said.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

“As our health care system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of Kaiser Permanente Northwest’s Sunnyside and Westside medical centers for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president, and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.”

To see Kaiser Permanente Northwest’s Sunnyside and Westside medical centers’ full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook, and via its newsletter.

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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 for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.

About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve almost 12.6 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org.