Published November 26. 2013 11:00PM
Lehigh Valley Health Network's (LVHN) two hospitals, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg, each received an A grade from The Leapfrog Group in its fall 2013 update to the Hospital Safety Score.
The rating reflects how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries and infections. It is designed to give the public information that is useful for choosing a hospital for care.
The health network's hospitals have received straight A's since the inaugural Patient Safety Score was published in 2012.
According to Ronald Swinard, MD, LVHN's president and CEO, "Hundreds of thousands of American patients die or are injured each year by a health system that's supposed to help them. That's why we support frequent monitoring by groups like Leapfrog. Our industry continues to make improvements in patient safety, and we must maintain a tireless focus on this major challenge to help transform our system into one that our patients deserve and of which we truly can be proud."