Novi, MI, December 2, 2015 – Today the Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM) announced three Michigan hospitals, demonstrating the highest standards of care, were named to The Leapfrog Group’s annual list of Top Hospitals. Widely acknowledged as one of the most prestigious distinctions any hospital can achieve in the United States, the award recognizes hospitals who are committed to Leapfrog’s vision of providing the safest, highest quality health care for consumers and purchasers alike.

This year, 98 hospitals received the Top Hospital distinction. Of those, 12 were recognized as a Top Children’s Hospital, up from nine honored last year. They’re joined by 24 Top Rural Hospitals, one of the few distinctions made available for rural and critical access hospitals, and 62 Top Urban Hospitals.

In Michigan, OSF St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba, Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial in Fremont and Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital in Reed City were selected as Top Rural Hospitals.  This year marks the fourth year in a row for OSF St. Francis Hospital receiving the Top Hospital award.

“To have three out of the twenty-four top rural hospitals in the country right here in the State of Michigan says a lot about how our state provides quality of care to our residents, not only in the urban areas, but rural as well, “said Bret Jackson, president of the EAM.  “We encourage hospital systems to be transparent in terms of patient safety and hope more hospitals in Michigan participate in next year’s The Leapfrog Group Survey and strive to become a Top Hospital, providing excellent patient care and safety.”

The announcement came today at Leapfrog’s 15th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C., with key decision-makers from Leapfrog’s network of purchaser members, industry partners, health care stakeholders and national collaborators gathering for the occasion.

“We see great leadership among Top Hospitals in preventing medical errors and getting good results for patients,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I congratulate the board, staff, and clinicians of these hospitals whose efforts have led to these results.”

The Top Hospital award is given to urban, rural and children’s hospitals that publicly report their performance through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and meet the high standards defined in each year’s Top Hospitals Methodology. To see the full list of institutions honored as a 2015 Top Hospital, please visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.