Harlingen Medical Center Receives an “A” for Patient Safety in “Leapfrog” Ratings

Top score reflects high level of healthcare provided  for Valley patients by Harlingen Medical Center

HARLINGEN – Harlingen Medical Center has been awarded an “A” for patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, a national healthcare ratings organization.

The top grade indicates an above-average performance by the award-winning and nationally-recognized hospital.

The Leapfrog Group assigns letter grades of A, B, C, D and F to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms. Harlingen Medical Center received an “A” for “its commitment to keeping patients safe and meeting the highest safety standards in the U.S.”, according to Leapfrog, which is based in Washington, D.C.

“This outstanding grade reflects the dedication of the physicians, nurses and other health professionals at our hospital, in serving our patients with safe, high-quality, compassionate, and personalized care,” said Brenda Ivory, President and Chief Executive Officer at Harlingen Medical Center.

“At Harlingen Medical Center, we are all committed to patient safety and to creating an exceptional patient experience,” Ms. Ivory added. “And, that includes ensuring we effectively communicate with our patients, ensuring we are responsive to their needs, and ensuring we provide a safe, quiet and clean environment during their stay with us.”

Amy Flores, Chief Nursing Officer at Harlingen Medical Center, said the greatest asset that Harlingen Medical Center has is its people.

“We are here to serve,” Ms. Flores added. “At the heart of all of these ratings — and of everything else that we do — is to take care of our patients in the best possible way.”

Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, noted that “it takes consistent, unwavering dedication to patients to achieve the highest standards of patient safety.”

“An ‘A’ Safety Grade recognizes hospitals for this accomplishment,” Ms. Binder added. “We congratulate the clinicians, board, management and staff of Harlingen Medical Center for showing the country what it means to put patient safety first.”

Developed under the guidance of a Blue Ribbon National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly-available hospital safety data to assign safety grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

This is not the first time that Harlingen Medical Center’s ratings reflect the high quality of healthcare that is being provided to Valley residents at HMC. Last year, Harlingen Medical Center was one of the few hospitals in the Valley to achieve a 4-star rating in the “Hospital Quality Star Ratings” from the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

To see Harlingen Medical Center’s full grade from Leapfrog, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, please visit www.HospitalSafetyGrade.org. For more information on the patient safety and quality programs and services available at Harlingen Medical Center, please visit www.HarlingenMedicalCenter.com.