LincolnHealth was named a top rural hospital at a special ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, Dec. 6. From left: Leapfrog Group President and CEO Leah Binder, Leapfrog Group Board Chair Cristie Travis, Blake Hendrickson of the Maine Health Management Coalition, LincolnHealth Director of Pharmacy Services Karen Philbrick, and LincolnHealth Clinical Support Services Manager Michele Sawyer.
Widely recognized as one of the most prestigious distinctions any hospital can achieve in the United States, The Leapfrog Group has named LincolnHealth to its annual list of top rural hospitals in the United States for the sixth time in seven years. LincolnHealth was one of only 18 rural hospitals in the United States to earn this honor in 2017.
“This is an extraordinary achievement,” said LincolnHealth President Jim Donovan, “and once again we only have to look to our talented, hard-working, and dedicated staff and employees to thank for it. To earn this recognition once is very challenging. To earn it so many times indicates a culture of safety and quality in our organization that started many years ago.”
LincolnHealth was selected based on the results of The Leapfrog Group’s annual hospital survey, which measures hospitals’ performance across many areas of hospital care, including infection rates, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors.
“We are proud to recognize LincolnHealth as a 2017 Leapfrog Top Hospital. This demonstrates extraordinary dedication to patients and the local community. The entire staff and board deserve praise for putting quality first and achieving results,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog.
To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must submit a Leapfrog Hospital Survey. The selection of Top Hospitals 2017 is based on surveys from nearly 1,900 hospitals. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2017 Top Hospitals, go to leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.
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.
Hospital Safety Score, 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.
