LVH–Cedar Crest and LVH–Muhlenberg earn top safety ratings in spring 2023 for preventing patient harm and errors

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (May 3, 2023) – Two Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) hospitals are receiving top marks for safety from The Leapfrog Group. Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest and LVH–Muhlenberg received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade for spring 2023.

“Our colleagues work tirelessly to keep our patients safe,” says Bob Begliomini, PharmD, Senior Vice President, LVHN, and President, LVH–Cedar Crest. “Everyone who works at our hospital should be proud of this accomplishment, because it shows our commitment to safety and high-quality care.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization that grades hospitals from across the country for safety by using 30 national performance measures.

“Receiving high marks for safety shows our community that high-quality care is the top priority at our hospitals,” says Jim Miller, CRNA, Senior Vice President, Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence, and President, LVH–Muhlenberg. “Our doctors, nurses and hospital staff are highly skilled and compassionate. Each is focused on delivering LVHN’s promise to heal comfort and care, and that starts with safety.”

To grade each hospital, The Leapfrog Group examines errors, accidents, injuries and infections patients may encounter while in the hospital. Leapfrog also examines the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. Each hospital graded by Leapfrog receives an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F.”

“A main component of achieving high-quality, compassionate care is taking steps to protect patients,” says Matthew McCambridge, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality, Patient Safety and Acute Care Continuum Officer, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN).

“Achieving an ‘A’ rating from The Leapfrog Group is a testament to our commitment to keeping our patients safe and providing the excellent care they expect and deserve.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety grading system is peer-reviewed and transparent to the public. It is also the only safety rating system in the country that exclusively measures how well hospitals prevent medical errors and harm to patients.

“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” says Leah Binder, President and CEO, The Leapfrog Group. “But these hospitals received an ‘A’ despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible.”

Full safety grade details for LVH–Cedar Crest and LVH–Muhlenberg are available at HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

LVHN includes 13 hospital campuses, four in Allentown, two in Bethlehem, one in Easton, one in East Stroudsburg, one in Hazleton, two in Pottsville, one in Lehighton and one in Dickson City, Pa.; 28 health centers; numerous primary and specialty care physician practices; 20 ExpressCARE locations including the area’s only Children’s ExpressCARE; pharmacy, imaging, home health, rehabilitation and lab services; and preferred provider services through Valley Preferred. Specialty care includes: trauma care for adults and children, burn care at the Regional Burn Center; kidney and pancreas transplants; perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer, orthopedics, neurology, complex neurosurgery capabilities including national certification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, and robotic surgery in 10 specialties. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute, Lehigh Valley Heart and Vascular Institute, Lehigh Valley Institute for Surgical Excellence, Lehigh Valley Orthopedic Institute and Lehigh Valley Fleming Neuroscience Institute physicians provide the most advanced treatments. Lehigh Valley Topper Cancer Institute is a member of the Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Alliance, an initiative that helps community providers improve the quality of cancer care and offers access to MSK clinical trials. Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, the community’s only children’s hospital, provides care in more than 30 specialties and general pediatrics. Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest is ranked as the region’s No. 1 hospital for nine straight years and has been recognized among Pennsylvania’s top 10 hospitals for nine consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest, LVH–17th Street and LVH–Muhlenberg are the Lehigh Valley region’s only Magnet® hospitals for nursing excellence. Additional information is available by visiting LVHN.org or following us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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.