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Virginia hospitals earn national recognition for patient safety, patient experience excellence

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Virginia Hospital & Healthcare AssociationA dozen Virginia hospitals have earned places on Healthgrades’ 2021 list of America’s 250 Best Hospitals, another 16 Virginia hospitals have been named 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award winners by Healthgrades, and seven Virginia hospitals have earned the 2021 Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award. Hospitals earning these distinctions are deemed among the highest performing in the nation out of more than 4,500 hospitals assessed by Healthgrades.

The Healthgrades’ recognition of Virginia hospitals closely follows the recent release of the Spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades showing that Virginia is ranked fourth overall in the nation for hospital safety. The latest rankings by the Leapfrog Group continue a trend of strong patient safety scores by Virginia hospitals in recent years when the Commonwealth has consistently been ranked as a top state for hospital safety.

Recognition of Virginia hospitals by Healthgrades and Leapfrog is a positive reflection of hospitals’ shared commitment for keeping patients safe and providing exceptional patient care and experience. VHHA is proud to support this collaborative work through its Center for Healthcare Excellence, which has focused on patient safety and quality improvement work since its formation in 2015.

“Virginia hospitals and the thousands of team members they employ are devoted to making the Commonwealth the healthiest state in the nation. Among the strategies we continue to pursue as part of that goal is enhancing health care quality, safety, value, patient experience, and patient outcomes,” said VHHA President and CEO Sean T. Connaughton. “The latest recognition of member hospitals from across Virginia who are excelling at enhancing patient safety and patient experience show that work is yielding positive results and we commend each of the hospitals and health systems that have been so honored.”

Virginia hospitals that earned places on the America’s Best 250 Hospitals list for 2021 include Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center, Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center, Chippenham Hospital (HCA Virginia), Henrico Doctors’ Hospital (HCA Virginia), Inova Alexandria Hospital, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital, Johnston-Willis Hospital (HCA Virginia), Parham Doctors’ Hospital (HCA Virginia), Retreat Doctors’ Hospital (HCA Virginia), Sentara CarePlex Hospital, and Sentara Princess Anne Hospital. Those hospitals are deemed to be in the top 5 percent in the nation for overall clinical excellence. The Healthgrades rankings are based on an evaluation of Medicare claim data, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and patient outcome data for all patients (all-payer data) from states, among other data sources.

The 16 Virginia hospitals named 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award winners by Healthgrades include Centra Bedford Memorial Hospital, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital (HCA Virginia), Inova Alexandria Hospital, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital, LewisGale Hospital – Alleghany (HCA Virginia), LewisGale Medical Center (HCA Virginia), Parham Doctors’ Hospital (HCA Virginia), Reston Hospital Center (HCA Virginia), Retreat Doctors’ Hospital (HCA Virginia), Sentara CarePlex Hospital, Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, Sentara Obici Hospital, Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center (HCA Virginia). This award recognizes hospitals in the top 10 percent in the nation for patient safety, with the lowest occurrences of 14 preventable patient safety events.

The seven Virginia hospitals that earned the 2021 Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award are Buchanan General Hospital, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Inova Fairfax Hospital, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital, Sentara Leigh Hospital, and Virginia Hospital Center. Healthgrades evaluates patient experience based on 10 measures, using data collected from surveys of hospital patients. Hospitals in the top 15 percent are recognized as award recipients.

In addition to the latest Healthgrades awards and Leapfrog scores, Virginia was recently recognized as a top state for emergency readiness in Trust for America’s Health – 2021 Ready or Not Annual Report on Emergency Preparedness. The report places Virginia in the highest performing tier based on an assessment of key emergency preparedness indicators. The Commonwealth was likewise ranked in the top tier of states in the Ready or Not 2020 report, and was ranked among the top states in overall emergency preparedness rating in the 2020 National Health Security Preparedness Index report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Colorado School of Public Health.

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