SHORELINES

Grade A: Baptist Beaches earns highest marks for patient safety — again

For Shorelines
Baptist Medical Center Beaches has been recognized with an "A" rating for patient safety for five consecutive years.

For the fifth consecutive time, Baptist Medical Center Beaches received an "A" rating in the spring 2021  Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, a national distinction recognizing achievements in providing the safest health care for patients. Baptist Beaches is one of only 33 percent of hospitals in the nation to receive an "A" rating. 

“To receive an 'A' safety rating five times in a row is extremely gratifying,” said Joe Mitrick, hospital president. “Our dedicated team members and physicians make patient safety their top priority in every situation every day.” 

Baptist Nassau, Baptist South and Baptist Jacksonville also received "A" safety ratings.  

“Our health care teams are committed to constant monitoring and improving our patient safety standards,” said Elizabeth Ransom, executive vice president and chief physician executive for Baptist Health. “Safety is ingrained in our culture through collaboration and open communication — which are vital in achieving the highest quality standards in our hospitals.” 

Baptist Beaches’ safety and quality protocols have been further enhanced since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis through a number of additional measures. Separate respiratory care units for COVID-19 patients, designated staff and equipment for COVID-19 rooms, as well as the use of advanced UV technology for decontamination are among the many safety reinforcements the health system has implemented.  

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“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but Baptist Health shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.” 

The Leapfrog Hospital 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. Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, with results that free to the public. 

Baptist Health is a faith-based, mission-driven system in Northeast Florida comprised of Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville; Baptist Medical Center Beaches; Baptist Medical Center Nassau; Baptist Medical Center South; Baptist Clay Medical Campus and Wolfson Children’s Hospital — the region’s only children’s hospital.  For more details, visit BaptistJax.com.