When patients go to the hospital, they should be able to trust that their safety is at the forefront of every provider’s mind. At Northeast Georgia Medical (NGMC) Barrow, patients can rest assured that’s the case, as the hospital recently received an “A” Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group – a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.
“Providing safe, high-quality care to the people of our community is our top priority, and our physicians and staff are committed to continuously improving our processes to better serve our community,” said Sonja McLendon, interim president of NGMC Barrow. “We are honored to be recognized for this exceptional care.”
The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns a letter grade to hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
NGMC Barrow earned this Hospital Safety Grade while providing emergency care, surgery, orthopedics, heart care, imaging/radiology, laboratory services, pulmonary rehabilitation, wound healing, stroke care and more to the Barrow community. Since joining Northeast Georgia Health System in 2017, NGMC Barrow has also been recognized as one of the “Top 5 Small Hospitals” in the state by Georgia Trend magazine; earned designation as a Primary Stroke Treatment Center; added 3D mammography to better detect breast cancer; and ranked in the top 5% of healthcare providers driving employee engagement by Press Ganey.
Learn more at nghs.com/barrow.
About Northeast Georgia Medical Center
Since 1951, Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) has been on a mission of improving the health of our community in all we do. With hospitals located in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder and Dahlonega, the four NGMC campuses have a total of more than 750 beds and more than 1,200 medical staff members representing more than 60 specialties. NGMC is part of Northeast Georgia Health System, a non-profit that cares for more than one million people across more than 19 counties. Learn more at www.nghs.com.
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 for patient safety. 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. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.