How Huntley’s Northwestern Medicine Hospital scored in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey

HUNTLEY – Having first launched in 2001, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey has been widely regarded as being the nation’s gold standard in evaluating hospital performance. The free survey assesses hospital performance on national measures of safety, quality and efficiency of both inpatient and outpatient care, according to the Leapfrog Hospital Survey’s website.

Additionally, the website states that the outcome of the survey are of specific interest to health care purchasers and consumers, as well as cover a broad range of hospital processes, outcomes and structures in many clinical areas such as maternity and intensive care.

The Leapfrog Group which opens the survey every year starting April 1, invites all general acute-care hospitals, free-standing pediatric hospitals, and ambulatory surgical centers in the U.S. to voluntarily complete the survey.

The Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital located at 10400 Haligus Rd., has participated in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey since 2018. From that point on, the hospital has managed to maintain a Leapfrog Hospital Safety letter grade “A” on a grading scale of receiving an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F.” This year was no exception.

Northwestern Medicine media relations manager Michelle Green, was excited to share the news regarding the positive rating on the Leapfrog Survey.

“Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital and Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital are proud to earn A’s in Leapfrog’s Spring Hospital Safety Grade. This recognition is a reflection of our commitment to quality, safety and patient experience. Our physicians, nurses and staff are driven by their dedication and passion for delivering outstanding care while always striving to do what is better for our patients,” Green said. “We believe that quality and safety data should be meaningful, informative and transparent to the public.”

The Huntley Hospital scored above average in areas such as practices to prevent errors. Though it did score below average or average in certain subgroups, which included categories involving dangerous objects left in a patient’s body during surgery to patients’ perspectives with doctor communication.

Despite some below average scores in some areas, the Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital’s scores were still well above the worst hospital scores.

Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group credits hospitals that have maintained consecutive “A” grades with having been better prepared to serve patients when the COVID-19 pandemic first hit.

“Hospitals with a consistent pattern of protecting patients from errors, accidents, and injuries, like these straight ‘A’ hospitals, seem to have been more prepared when the pandemic hit,” Binder said. “For many, safety and quality are embedded in their daily work at all levels of the organization, which prepared them in turn to respond to the rapidly evolving pandemic. As a part of this culture, straight ‘A’ hospitals have consistently shown a commitment to their workforce, empowering them to ask questions and share safety concerns.”

Individuals wanting to learn more about how other hospitals scored in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey can visit The Leapfrog Group’s website at hospitalsafetygrade.org.