University of Southern California: Keck Hospital of USC nationally recognized with a spring 2021 ‘A’ hospital safety grade

Keck Hospital of USC earned an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national patient safety watchdog organization, in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. This is the fourth consecutive time the hospital has received an “A” grade.

“This rating places Keck Hospital among the safest hospitals in the United States,” said Rod Hanners, interim CEO of Keck Medicine of USC. “Receiving the highest grade for the fourth time in a row is the result of a strict adherence to comprehensive quality and safety programs for our patients and a dedication to continuous improvement projects.”

The Leapfrog Group assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general acute care hospitals across the country based on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.

“Keck Medicine’s grade is a reflection of the commitment to excellence of every single member of the hospital,” said Stephanie Hall, MD, MHA, chief medical officer of Keck Hospital of USC and USC Norris Cancer Hospital. “Even when challenged by the pandemic, we have continued to ensure the highest level of safety for our patients by following evidence-based standards of care.”

Developed under the guidance of a national panel of experts, the Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.