Swedish Edmonds was honored for the third consecutive time with an ‘A’ grade in the Fall 2014 update to the national Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections. The Hospital Safety Score is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog. The first and only hospital safety rating to be analyzed in the peer-reviewed Journal of Patient Safety, the score is designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families, a Swedish announcement said.

“We are pleased to receive this recognition on behalf of all our caregivers at Swedish Edmonds and the community we serve,” said David Jaffe, chief executive at Swedish Edmonds. “Patient safety and quality of care are top priorities at the hospital, and we are very gratified to see that our hard work is making a measurable difference.”

The Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single grade representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 general U.S. hospitals were assigned scores in Leapfrog’s fall report. A full analysis of the data and methodology used is available on the Hospital Safety Score website.

“This recognition reflects the outstanding care physicians and staff do on behalf of the patients we serve at Swedish Edmonds every day,” said Bruce Williams, MD and chairman of the Swedish Edmonds Quality and Safety Council.

The Leapfrog achievement is especially meaningful to all caregivers at Swedish Edmonds because patient safety has been emphasized throughout the organization, the Swedish announcement said. Changes that have contributed to a culture of safety include a daily “safety huddle” with representatives from departments to discuss safety metrics, concerns and successes.

Patient safety was paramount and incorporated into building features that will be evident when the hospital’s remodeled facility – its largest expansion in 40 years – opens about a year from now. The emergency department patient rooms will have radiological services primarily provided at the bedside, two state-of-the-art trauma rooms and lift equipment in some rooms for a safer patient experience. The two-story, 77,000-square-foot facility will include a new emergency department, urgent care, observation unit, outpatient diagnostic imaging center, new lobby, public space, 37,000-square-foot shelled second floor and more.