MOULTRIE – Colquitt Regional Medical Center recently earned its 19th “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety.

Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as, the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.  

 “We are incredibly honored to receive our 19th ‘A’ safety grade from the Leapfrog Group,” said Colquitt Regional President and CEO Jim Matney. “This achievement reflects the commitment of our entire team to provide the highest standard of care and ensure the safety of every patient who entrusts us with their health.”

Among the 30 measures used to evaluate each hospital, Colquitt Regional earned a perfect score in the following categories: doctors order medications through a computer, safe medication administration, specially trained doctors care for ICU patients, effective leadership to prevent errors, staff work together to prevent errors, nursing and bedside care for patients, and hand-washing.

 “Achieving an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade is a significant accomplishment for Colquitt Regional,” said President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group Leah Binder. “It reflects enormous dedication to your patients and their families, and your whole community should be proud. I extend my congratulations to Colquitt Regional, its leadership, clinicians, staff and volunteers for their tireless efforts to put patients first.”

 Colquitt Regional also scored 91 percent or higher in the categories of communication with nurses, communication with doctors and responsiveness of hospital staff.

 “Earning these 19 ‘A’ safety grades is a clear reflection of the hospital’s steadfast dedication to patient safety and quality care,” said Hospital Authority Chairman John Griffin. “I commend the entire Colquitt Regional team for setting a standard of excellence that benefits our community every day.”

 The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade stands as the only hospital ratings program focused solely on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day in the United States. This program is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.