NCH nationally recognized with an ‘A’

Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) was awarded an ‘A’ in the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing NCH’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.

“This is the fourth time in a row we have received an A rating which is something achieved by less than 30% of the hospitals in the country,” said NCH Chief Medical Officer and Executive Vice President, Alan Loren, M.D., PhD. “We are extremely proud of this award which was accomplished by the collective effort of everyone in this organization whose mission is to improve the health of the communities we serve and to meet individuals’ healthcare needs. We continue to build upon our Integrated System of Care to constantly deliver innovative, exceptional and coordinated care for the patients and communities we serve.”

“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for NCH. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. health care system, we appreciate you putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it.”

Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

NCH was awarded an ‘A’ grade when Leapfrog updated grades for fall 2020. To see NCH’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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.

About Northwest Community Healthcare

In January 2021, Northwest Community Healthcare (NCH) joined NorthShore University HealthSystem. The Arlington Heights campus features a 509-bed hospital, bolstering the system’s footprint to six hospitals, with a Level II Trauma Center, Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and dedicated pediatric emergency department. Throughout the northwest suburbs, NCH has 23 doctor’s offices; five immediate care centers; seven physical rehabilitation sites; and 13 lab locations. Together, the NorthShore system provides clinical excellence and community-focused care across Chicagoland. For a comprehensive listing of physicians and programs visit nch.org.

Headquartered in Evanston, NorthShore is a fully integrated healthcare delivery system that includes five hospitals—Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park, Skokie and Swedish. NorthShore consistently ranks as a Top 15 Major Teaching Hospital in the United States, with an established reputation for exceptional patient care and is a national pioneer in the implementation of advanced health information technology. For more information, please visit NorthShore.org and SwedishCovenant.org.