To the Editor:
Recently, Hilton Head Hospital and Coastal Carolina Hospital were the only hospitals in the region to earn the grade of “A” in the Fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
For those not familiar, this is a national distinction recognizing the hospital’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. To put this tremendous honor into further perspective, according to Leapfrog, less than one third of almost 3,000 hospitals across the nation earned an “A” rating.
Now more than ever, with our nation facing unprecedented times due to COVID-19, it is crucial to have access to a high standard of medical care.
As board members, we know how hard our colleagues work to help ensure patient safety. We also see the tremendous amount of humility, perseverance and selflessness those same colleagues demonstrate on a daily basis. Our market CEO, Joel Taylor, pointed out that having an “A” rating from an esteemed group such as Leapfrog reflects the unwavering commitment of our physicians, clinical and support staff to put patients and best practices first.
To determine a hospital’s score, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. According to Leapfrog, the fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade represents the largest set of hospitals ever graded with grades assigned to 2,901 facilities. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
As Chairmen of the Boards at Hilton Head Hospital and Coastal Carolina Hospital, we have been amazed and impressed by the high-level services, exemplary staffs, outstanding leadership, and leading-edge technology offered at both facilities.
Leapfrog’s recent “A” grade offers further and objective proof that Hilton Head Hospital and Coastal Carolina Hospital set a high bar on standards of care and are tremendous assets to the community.
Jeffery Reuben, M.D.
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Hilton Head Hospital
L. Martin Sauls IV
Chairman of the Board of Directors
Coastal Carolina Hospital
