St. Pats receives top national safety rating

Missoula Current

Providence St. Patrick Hospital received a top rating as one of the safest hospitals in the county, a national patient safety watchdog group said Monday.

The Missoula-based hospital was one of 844 hospitals in the U.S. to receive an “A” safety ranking from Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.

Joyce Dombrouski, the chief operating officer of Providence Western Montana, said the score reflects the hospital's commitment to patient safety and satisfaction.

“Our 'A' grade reflects the work that we've done to become a highly reliable organization,” Dombrouski said. “We've implemented electronic safeguards for physician ordering, ensured safe practices for appropriate antibiotic use, focused on infection prevention, and empowered our nurses at the bedside to make meaningful and safe decisions.”

Leapfrog Safety Grades assigns an A, B, C, D and F letter to grade 2,600 hospitals nationwide twice a year in an effort to provide a picture of patient safety at U.S. hospitals.

Developed under the guidance of an expert panel, the safety grade uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data in assigning the grade. The grades are calculated by patient safety experts and peer-reviewed.

“Protecting patients from harm is the most important charge for any hospital,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We recognize and appreciate ‘A’ hospitals’ vigilance and continued dedication to keeping their patients safe.”