Huntsville Hospital releases statement following ‘F' grade on Leapfrog Hospital Safety report
You can read the full statement from Huntsville Hospital below.
The Leapfrog survey is not an accurate measure of patient safety at HuntsvilleHospital. The hospital did not complete this voluntary 353-page survey, yet Leapfrogchose to publish a rating with incomplete information. This process is unfair to thethousands of dedicated clinicians working around the clock to care for the community andrespond to emergencies anytime they are called.
Huntsville Hospital is consistently ranked by US News as the second-best hospital inAlabama (https://health.usnews.com/best-hospitals/area/al). The hospital is fullyaccredited by the Joint Commission, the gold standard for hospital quality and safety,holding hospitals accountable for over 250 standards measured in person by a sevenperson survey team. Forbes considers HH one of the best employers in Alabamaand Newsweek named HH one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Women. HH'scardiac surgery programs was recognized by Healthgrades as one of America's 50 bestprograms seven years in a row. HH is a certified stroke center and accredited by theAmerican College of Surgeon's Commission on Cancer. Blue Cross and Blue Shieldrecognizes HH for distinction in cardiac care, spine surgery, bariatric surgery, andmaternity care. Every employee and physician in the HH Health System completesmandatory training in patient safety and high reliability. HH excels in most quality ratingsand scores poorly in a Leapfrog survey that it does not complete.
Huntsville Hospital takes care of the sickest patients in north Alabama and southernTennessee. Mortality ratings referenced in the Leapfrog survey fail to account for theseverity of illness managed by hospitals that accept transfers of patients needing thehighest level of care. To ensure we are providing these patients the best possible care,Huntsville Hospital dedicates significant resources to specialty specific clinical databasesincluding the Society of Thoracic Surgery, American College of Cardiology NCDR Registry,Vermont Oxford neonatology database, National Surgical Quality Improvement Program,National Trauma database, and Cancer Registry.
The perception of this matter is not lost on us. Going forward, Huntsville Hospital andMadison Hospital will add the significant resources that are required to complete a surveyof Leapfrog's scope. While we would rather have these staff members taking care ofpatients, and we recognize that Leapfrog may not be the best indicator of hospital quality,allowing an organization to suggest we do not prioritize patient safety is an afront todedicated care givers and first responders working around the clock to make Huntsville abetter place to live.
Huntsville Hospital
This statement comes after an independent, nonprofit organization, The Leapfrog Group, released its first of two yearly grade reports and both Huntsville Hospital and Madison Hospital received an F.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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