News Release

University Hospitals Case Medical Center recognized as national leader by the Leapfrog Group

Designated as a 'Top Hospital' and leader in quality patient care

Grant and Award Announcement

University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio is among 65 hospitals nationwide to be designated as a "Top Hospital" and leader in quality patient care by The Leapfrog Group. The annual "Top Hospital" designation, which is the most competitive national hospital quality award in the country, recognizes hospitals that deliver the highest quality care by preventing medical errors, reducing mortality for high-risk procedures like heart bypass surgery and reducing hospital readmissions for patients being treated for conditions like pneumonia and heart attack.

"We are proud of this extraordinary achievement, which reflects University Hospitals Case Medical Center's ongoing commitment to quality and safety for our patients," says William Annable, MD, University Hospitals Chief Quality Officer. "This is an exceptional recognition when you consider that nearly 1,200 hospitals across the country participated in the Survey. Of that total, just one Northeast Ohio hospital was selected to be in this year's Leapfrog class of Top Hospitals."

The Leapfrog Group is a consortium of corporations and public agencies that uses its members' collective leverage to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality and affordability of health care for Americans. Now in its 11th year, the group encourages hospitals to report on nationally standardized measures for quality and safety outcomes so that health care consumers can make educated and informed decisions. The Leapfrog Group Survey focuses on three critical areas of hospital care: (1) how patients fare, (2) resources used to care for patients, and (3) management practices that promote safety and quality.

"Employers and other large healthcare benefits purchasers look to The Leapfrog Group to identify high-performing hospitals," said Keith Reissaus, Leapfrog Board Chair and vice president of Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, Inc. "Leapfrog's members and supporters believe that the challenges for American healthcare go far beyond just keeping costs down. It's about making certain that patients get the right care at the right time; that value is an equal part of the equation."

A complete list of the 2011 Leapfrog Top Hospitals and survey results can be found at http://www.leapfroggroup.org.

The hospitals were honored at the Leapfrog Group's 2011 annual meeting held today, December 6 in Washington, DC.

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About University Hospitals

With 150 locations throughout Northeast Ohio, University Hospitals serves the needs of patients through an integrated network of hospitals, outpatient centers and primary care physicians. At the core of our Health System is University Hospitals Case Medical Center. The primary affiliate of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center is home to some of the most prestigious clinical and research centers of excellence in the nation and the world, including cancer, pediatrics, women's health, orthopedics and spine, radiology and radiation oncology, neurosurgery and neuroscience, cardiology and cardiovascular surgery, organ transplantation and human genetics. Its main campus includes the internationally celebrated Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, ranked among the top hospitals in the nation; MacDonald Women's Hospital, Ohio's only hospital for women; and Seidman Cancer Center, which holds the nation's highest designation by the National Cancer Institute of Comprehensive Cancer Center. For more information, go to http://www.uhhospitals.org


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