Ten Hospitals Throughout Michigan Earn Patient Safety Award

Metro Detroit Area Lacking in Patient Safety

In observance of National Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 12th – 18th), the Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM), a nonprofit group comprised of Michigan’s largest employers and unions, announces the recipients of the 2023 EAM Hospital Patient Safety Awards, recognizing hospitals in Michigan consistently performing high marks and improvements in patient safety and quality of care. This marks the eighth year for the awards.

Ten hospitals in Michigan have earned an EAM Hospital Patient Safety Award, a decrease from 13 recipients the previous year. In 2021, the EAM recognized 18 hospitals for delivering high standards and improvements in patient safety.

“There has been a steep decline in hospital patient safety, not only in Michigan, but across the country,” said Bret Jackson, President and CEO of EAM. “The infrastructure of the healthcare system has yet to recover from the pandemic. Hospitals are still dealing with staff shortages and long wait times in the emergency room, but this is no excuse to cause undo harm to a patient.”

Hospitals can achieve two different awards, the Excellence Award and the Improvement Award. To be considered for an award, hospitals must have participated in the 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, demonstrating the hospital’s commitment to transparency. The Leapfrog Group is the nation’s premier advocate of transparency in health care—collecting, analyzing, and disseminating data to inform value-based purchasing and improved decision-making.

Hospitals receiving the Excellence Award participated in the annual Leapfrog Group survey and maintained all “A’s” with Hospital Safety Grade in four consecutive grading terms (Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022).

Hospitals receiving the Improvement Award participated in the annual Leapfrog Group survey and demonstrated improvement in letter grades for four consecutive grading terms with Hospital Safety Grade (Spring 2021, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022). During the four terms, the grades must not trend backwards. The last term grade (Fall 2022) must be at least a “B” to qualify, and hospitals must improve by two letter grades during the four terms.

Nine hospitals earned the Excellence Award:
• Covenant Medical Center in Saginaw
• Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson
• Lake Huron Medical Center in Port Huron
• Michigan Medicine, University of Michigan in Ann Arbor
• Spectrum Health Lakeland Hospital in Niles
• Spectrum Health United Hospital in Greenville
• Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital in Zeeland
• Trinity Health Chelsea Hospital in Chelsea
• UP Health System – Portage in Hancock

One hospital earned the Improvement Award:
• ProMedica Coldwater Regional Hospital in Coldwater

One notable fact is that zero hospitals in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties received an award for 2023.

“To not have an award for a hospital in the state’s highest populated area is most distressing. We must do better in providing high quality care to the people of Metro Detroit.” Jackson said. “Thank you to the hospitals who continue to place patient safety as a top priority no matter what the given healthcare climate is. You are saving lives and healthcare dollars by doing so.”

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual recognition event intended to encourage everyone to learn more about health care safety. Discover more information about patient safety and hospital safety grades at www.leapfroggroup.org.