Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital received its third consecutive “A” on the Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2019 Hospital Safety Grade. This designation by the national nonprofit health care ratings organization recognizes the hospital’s efforts to protect patients from harm and meet the highest safety standards in the United States.  

The Safety Grade, ranging from A to F, rates hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections, and other harms among patients in their care. Of the more than 2,600 hospitals graded, only one-third earned an “A” in the fall 2019 update of grades.

“Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes has an established culture of patient safety that is shared by all levels of the organization,” said Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE, president and CEO of Virtua Health. “This commitment to the highest levels of safety and quality, coupled with advanced services like cardiac surgery and transplant, cement the hospital as being among the best in region and an important part of the new Virtua.” 

On July 1, 2019, Virtua Health successfully acquired Lourdes Health System, creating the most comprehensive health care system in South Jersey. The joining of the two systems brings together high-quality services such as cardiology, neurosurgery, cancer care, maternity, bariatrics, and organ transplantation, as well as the opportunity to integrate best clinical practices developed by each organization.

Developed under the guidance of a national panel of experts, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

“Patient safety fuels everyone’s actions — it’s at the core of our mission. Colleagues are encouraged to speak up for safety and stop the line if they believe something may be wrong,” said Mark Nessel, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes and Virtua Willingboro hospitals. “I am proud of our staff and their commitment to the good of our communities.”

To learn more about Virtua Health’s Leapfrog ratings for fall 2019, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.