Highlighting its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality, Beaufort Memorial Hospital (BMH) was named a 2022 Top General Hospital nationally by The Leapfrog Group, a watchdog organization that is widely acknowledged as the toughest standard-setters for health care safety and quality.
Granted to a select group of hospitals who have earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade, only 5% of the nation’s hospitals were recognized in the “Top” category this year.
BMH is among only three general hospitals in South Carolina to earn the distinction.
“We are honored to recognize Beaufort Memorial as a Top Hospital this year,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “They have demonstrated that they truly put patients first. We congratulate the board, staff and clinicians whose efforts made this honor possible.”
The quality of patient care across many areas of hospital performance is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors.
“The Birthing Center team’s consistent focus on providing the best care to each and every mother and newborn is in part why Beaufort Memorial is being recognized,” said BMH Chief of Obstetrics Dr. Gregory A. Miller, a board-certified OB-GYN who delivers hundreds of babies at the hospital each year. “We’re minimizing the need for cesarean deliveries and all the risks they pose to mother and child. Potential health concerns for new mothers are actively addressed. And, we have an experienced and highly skilled team of nurses and pediatricians in the level 2 nursery, caring for babies and ensuring they are screened and treated for conditions before they result in harm.”
Orthopedic care was also among the top patient care areas for which Beaufort Memorial received recognition.
“When compared to the rest of the nation, our team has a level of proficiency with all the aspects of patient care that are essential to a successful surgery,” said Dr. Edward Blocker, a Beaufort Memorial board-certified orthopedic surgeon and chief of orthopedics. “What that means for my joint replacement patients is better outcomes and a shorter length of stay. It also means we see fewer complications and readmissions after surgery.”
For the past 10 years, the Leapfrog Group has assigned letter grades to hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring. The most recent results can be found at HospitalSafetyGrade.org.
“To be recognized among the nation’s top 5% of hospitals for high quality and safe care is an honor and our entire staff deserves the thanks and congratulations,” said Beaufort Memorial President and CEO Russell Baxley. “This type of recognition can only be achieved with a hospital-wide commitment to safety, involving everyone from our housekeeping and food services staffs to the nurses, doctors and technicians on our medical team. Their hard work and vigilance to keep patients, visitors and each other safe is central to the values we hold as an institution.”
