Rush Oak Park Hospital Raises Its 'C' Safety Grade to an 'A' This Fall

OAK PARK, IL — Rush Oak Park Hospital distinguished itself Monday as one of the safest hospitals in the Chicago area.

According to national non-profit the Leapfrog Group, which has been grading hospitals based on how well they prevent errors, accidents, injuries and infections since 2012, the hospital in La Grange received an overall A grade for its performance this fall. In the spring of 2016, the hospital received a C grade.

The Leapfrog Group, along with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, evaluates more than 2,500 hospitals across the country in the fall and the spring and consolidates their findings into a single letter grade.

“Patient safety is a top priority at Rush Oak Park Hospital,” Cynthia Fisch, director of quality management at the hospital, said in a statement Monday. “Receiving an A grade reflects the outstanding efforts of everyone at the hospital.”

The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Grades site states that choosing the right hospital can reduce your risk of avoidable death by 50 percent.

“The analysis finds that despite considerable improvement in the safety of hospital care since the Score’s launch in 2012, avoidable deaths remain high,” the site said. “Findings point to a 9 percent higher risk of avoidable death in B hospitals, 35 percent higher in C hospitals, and 50 percent higher in D and F hospitals, than in A hospitals.”

According to Rush Oak Park Hospital’s Monday press release, a Leapfrog study found that 206,021 avoidable deaths take place in United States hospitals each year. If all hospitals performed at A-grade levels like Rush does, an estimated 33,439 lives could be saved every year.

“The A grade indicates that we’ve created a culture of safety at Rush Oak Park Hospital unparalleled to any hospital in the area. It also demonstrates the commitment and the dedication of the medical, nursing and professional staff,” Bruce Elegant, president and CEO of the hospital, said in a statement. “The A grade also establishes a level of confidence for our patients that care provided at Rush Oak Park Hospital adheres to the highest quality and safety standards.”

For more information about Chicago-area safety grades and to learn more about the grading process, check out our city-wide article here.

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