Overlake Receives Top-Ranking for Patient Safety – Leapfrog “A” in Spring 2018

Bellevue, Wash. – Overlake Medical Center today announced it has received an A safety rating from the Leapfrog Group, the eighth A rating in the past nine rating cycles. An A rating highlights Overlake’s ongoing commitment to maintaining the highest quality and safety standards in its hospital and clinics. The Safety Grade assigns letter grades of A, B, C, D and F to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms.

“The consistency of receiving an A rating over time is just as important as the individual score,” said Overlake Chief Medical Officer David Knoepfler, MD. Knoepfler credits Overlake’s culture of safety, including transparency as key elements in Overlake’s A rating. Overlake utilizes a robust and open safety event reporting system, and daily safety huddles to review immediate safety concerns. “Overlake ensures that every employee feels that they are a contributor to safety and quality in the institution, working in a team fashion to provide that high level of service safety.”

Tom Miller, MD, Overlake’s medical director of quality and safety says that daily staff huddles, monthly newsletter focused on quality, and executive rounding are among the strategies that have led to Overlake’s superior quality. At the morning safety huddle meetings, specific patient concerns, safety events, or issues with staffing or equipment are addressed and real-time adjustments are made. “It is commendable because it reflects how Overlake is doing the right thing for patient safety, quality and experience day in and day out,” said Miller.

Overlake was one of only eleven hospitals in Washington State to receive an A. Developed under the Blue Ribbon National Expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer reviewed and free to the public.