Leapfrog Announces 2019 Top Hospital Award for State of Michigan Hospitals

Nine Receive Coveted National Distinction  

December 17, 2019 – The Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM) and The Leapfrog Group announced nine hospitals in the State of Michigan] have been named to its 2019 national list of Top Hospitals. The elite award is one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive in safety and quality. The winners will be officially recognized at Leapfrog’s Annual Awards Dinner and Ceremony on December 17, 2019 in Washington, D.C.

Five hospitals in Michigan earned a Top Teaching Hospital Award:

• Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor
• St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea
• Covenant Medical Center in Saginaw
• St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac
• Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Clinton Township

Four hospitals in Michigan earned a Top Rural Hospital Award:

• Spectrum Health Reed City Hospital
• Spectrum Health Kelsey Hospital in Lakeview
• Dickinson County Healthcare System in Iron Mountain
• OSF St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba

The EAM is a Leapfrog Regional Leader, working with providers, purchasers, payors and patients in the state to drive safe, high-quality health care. “On behalf of the EAM and our members, we congratulate these nine hospitals and thank you for your hard work and dedication in providing the highest quality of care and patient safety for Michigan residents,” said Bret Jackson, president, EAM. “With one in four patients experiencing an adverse event during a hospital stay, higher patient safety in the state will lead to lower health care costs and we hope to see even more hospitals in Michigan make this list in the future.”

The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit watchdog organization that rates hospitals on how well they protect patients from errors and infections, as well as the effectiveness of procedures and other care they provide. This year, Leapfrog recognized 120 Top Hospitals across the country. Of those, 10 were Top Children’s Hospitals, 37 Top General Hospitals, 18 Top Rural Hospitals and 55 Top Teaching Hospitals.

“The standards achieved by Top Hospitals reflect the high expectations set by Leapfrog and its expert panels, which starts with a commitment to transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We are honored to spotlight the hospitals that have truly gone above and beyond in their pursuit of excellence that protects patients and saves lives.”

The Top Hospital award is given to teaching, general, rural and children’s hospitals that publicly report their performance through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and meet the high standards defined in the Top Hospitals Methodology. This includes infection rates, maternity care and a hospital’s ability to prevent medication errors, among other standards. To see the full national list of institutions honored as 2019 Top Hospitals, please visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.