Billings Clinic again earns Fall 2023 ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from Leapfrog Group
Billings, MT – Billings Clinic has again received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit that upholds and sets standards of excellent patient care and safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction celebrates Billings Clinic’s achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors.
“Earning a Leapfrog ‘A’ grade highlights the commitment to quality and hard work across Billings Clinic, along with the focus from so many people here to always look at how we can improve,” said John Schallenkamp, MD, Billings Clinic Chief Quality Officer. “We are incredibly proud of this achievement, not because of the grade itself but because it reflects the work and commitment to safe, quality care required to achieve it. Most importantly, it helps us to identify opportunities for continuous improvement with a constant focus on safety and quality.”
Billings Clinic was one of just four hospitals in Montana to earn a Leapfrog “A” grade. It was also named by U.S. News and World Report as the #1 hospital in Montana in the 2023-2024 Best Hospitals report and has been awarded consecutive U.S. Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) 5-star Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating in 2022 and 2023. This 5-star rating is the highest designation available for hospitals from CMS and aims to provide information to consumers to help them make informed choices about where to get their health care.
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns a grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
“Earning an ‘A’ Grade means Billings Clinic made a true commitment to put patients first,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement.”
To see Billings Clinic’s full Leapfrog grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook and via its newsletter.
