Northwestern Memorial Named Leapfrog Top Hospital
Northwestern Memorial Hospital, an affiliate of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, has been selected as a 2009 Top Hospital by the Leapfrog Group, an organization that provides the only national, public comparison of hospitals across safety, quality and efficiency dimensions. Northwestern Memorial was honored among an elite group of only 45 hospitals to be selected out of 1,206 hospitals surveyed.
“Our longstanding focus on creating the safest environment for our patients is in keeping with our Patients First mission,” said Dean M. Harrison, president and CEO of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. “To be recognized for our efforts is an honor.”
The national ranking is comprised of 34 urban hospitals, eight children’s facilities and three rural hospitals. To be designated a Top Hospital, organizations must meet or exceed Leapfrog criteria in four areas:
- Fully meet Leapfrog standards for implementing computer physician order entry standards
- Adhere to standards for staffing the ICU
- Meet stringent performance standards for complex, high-risk procedures (such as heart bypass surgery)
- Score in the top decile in the country for efficiency. Efficiency standards include quality outcomes, length of stay, readmission rates, and incidence of hospital acquired conditions and infections. The efficiency standard applies to heart bypass surgery, heart angioplasty, heart attack and pneumonia patients.
A 2008 study published in the Journal of the Joint Commission found hospitals that report to Leapfrog have lower mortality rates and better quality of care than those hospitals that choose not to report. Northwestern Memorial is one of only three Illinois hospitals to make the list.
