Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest, Salisbury Township; LVH - Muhlenberg, Bethlehem; and LVH - Hazleton, received “A” grades in the Hospital Safety Grade report from The Leapfrog Group this spring.

Brian Nester, DO, MBA, FACOEP, LVHN president and chief executive officer, said the recognition solidifies the health network’s ability to provide the care the community expects and deserves, even during unprecedented times.

“During a pandemic, emergency situations like heart attacks, strokes or injuries don’t stop,” Nester said.

“We’re proud to be able to safely care for all our patients, not just those with COVID-19.

“These ‘A’ grades from Leapfrog are a reflection of the skilled people, physicians, nurses and many, many others, who have gone the extra mile to take care of our community.”

The national ratings reflect how well hospitals protect patients from accidents, errors, injuries, infections and other harms.

The safety score is designed to give the public information that is useful for choosing a hospital for care.

This is the sixth straight “A” for LVH-Muhlenberg.

“As the nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and health care workers everywhere for their tremendous dedication,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We hope this ‘A’ helps to thank the people who work and volunteer for LVH - Cedar Crest; LVH - Muhlenberg and LVH - Hazleton.

“They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 United States acute-care hospitals twice per year.

The Hospital Safety Grade methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

Full grade details and patient tips for staying safe in the hospital are available at: www.hospitalsafetygrade.org

The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization concerning the quality and safety of American health care.

The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

Information: www.LVHN.org