Silver Cross Hospital earns 14th straight ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group

Ruth Colby, president and chief executive officer for Silver Cross Hospital, said in a news release that safety comes first at Silver Cross.

It shows.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, recently awarded the New Lenox Hospital an “A” Hospital Safety Grade “for achieving the highest national standards in patient safety,” the release said.

“Silver Cross Hospital has made a clear and consistent effort to protect patients from harm,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in the release. “Establishing and maintaining systems that optimize patient safety is especially critical during times of crisis.”

The Leapfrog Group assigns a letter grade – “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” – to all general hospitals in the areas of “table errors, injuries and infections, while also accounting for whether hospitals have systems in place to protect patients from harm,” the release said.

Colby said in the release that the 14th straight A “is a testament to the dedication of our entire Silver Cross family.” And that dedication to patient safety is why “Speak up for Patient Safety” is the first of the hospital’s seven behaviors.

It “sets the standard and expectation for every employee, physician and volunteer,” Colby said in the release.

This recent “A” from The Leapfrog Group is not the only quality and safety honor Silver Cross has earned this past year. The news release also said Silver Cross earned:

• The “Triple Crown” for health care in April. This landed Silver Cross a place on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 100 Top Hospitals list, a 5-Star Rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and a Leapfrog A – all in 2021.

• Several readers’ choice awards from the Southland Your Times in October. These included Best Hospital, Best Emergency Department, Best Place to Have a Baby and Best Home Care.

• Best Large Employer and Best Healthcare Employer in Will County from readers of The Herald-News, also in October.

For details on Silver Cross’ performance and to access hospital safety tips for patients, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

For more information on Silver Cross, visit silvercross.org.