XENIA — Greene Memorial Hospital received a top rating for patient safety and quality from a non-profit watchdog organization.
The Leapfrog Group gave GMH an “A” rating for the fifth-straight evaluation period, the hospital announced this week. The organization rates hospitals and other healthcare organizations based on information provided by those entities.
“At Greene Memorial Hospital, patient safety and quality is our top priority,” GMH President Rick Dodds said in a release. “To know we earned an ‘A’ is a great honor and shows our commitment to our patients and the community.”
The rating exemplifies GMH’s commitment to protecting its patients and providing adequate quality of service.
“We focus on patient safety and quality,” said Greene Memorial Hospital Vice President of Operations Jared Keresoma. “It is a validation of the hard work that the facility is doing every hour and every minute. Quality is at the forefront of all of the teams’ minds.
TLG uses various criteria to measure and grade the safety of hospitals including preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections, and other harms to patients.
“It is a complete team approach,” Keresoma said. “It is the top of mind. It’s what we’re here for. Huddling together, passing information from shift to shift, and washing our hands are some of the things we do. We make sure teams are supporting each other and are collaborating with each other. Information is shared with one another.”
All ares of the hospital are included.
”No matter the department, patient safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Keresoma said. “If there is something you hear or see, you share it. You speak up. Each department relies on each other. Each employee relies on his or her team. The hospital has a great team atmosphere that employees know they can rely on each other. We pride ourselves on having a great culture.”
A vital area of patient safety is adequate handling of medication. GMH has procedures in place to help prevent mistakes.
“The hospital is guarded by pharmacists and physicians,” Keresoma said. “The hospital is guided by a culture of safety. Pharmacy teams take every aspect into account to make sure adequate quality of care is provided.”
Less than half of the 100 hospitals graded in Ohio received an “A” rating.
“We are truly honored to provide the highest quality of care in Xenia and Greene County,” Keresoma said. “We do not take anything for granted. We hope to be a part of the community for a long time It is truly an honor to be here when needed.”
