Excela Health Accolades For Patient Safety Continue

National Recognition Reaffirms System’s Commitment To Quality

GREENSBURG, PA, November 10, 2021 … Excela Health continues to be recognized for exceptional patient care, with Excela Westmoreland Hospital and Excela Frick Hospital each receiving an “A” in The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grades. The A designation marks the third consecutive grading period for Westmoreland Hospital. Excela Latrobe Hospital maintained its “B” for this evaluation period. Excela Frick Hospital was previously not rated, but there was sufficient data for the grading period for Frick to be included in the evaluation.

The recognition reaffirms Excela Health’s continuing efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States. The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

“Patient safety and quality care go hand in hand and both require vigilance across multiple disciplines 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” noted John Sphon, Excela Health Chief Executive Officer. “To do so requires a strong healthcare team dedicated to infection reduction and preventable harm. This is an expectation of everyone in our organization and we continually focus on it for the greater good and well-being of our co-workers, our patients and their families,” Sphon added.

“An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a tremendous achievement, of which the community should be extremely proud,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I thank the leadership and workforce of Excela Health for its commitment to prioritizing patients and their safety, especially during these trying times.”

To see more details on Excela Health’s performance, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
About The Leapfrog Group

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 healthcare. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, 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.

Download PDF