Berkshire Medical Center Earns ‘A’ Grade for Patient Safety

PITTSFIELD — The Leapfrog Group, a national patient-safety watchdog, recently issued new Hospital Safety Scores, which assign ‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C,’ ‘D,’ and ‘F’ letter grades to hospitals nationwide. Berkshire Medical Center (BMC) was one of 798 hospitals to receive an ‘A,’ ranking among the safest hospitals in the U.S.

Berkshire Medical Center has received ‘A’ scores in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group since 2012, and is one of only 98 hospitals in the U.S. to achieve this consistent level of recognition.

“The physicians, nurses, and staff of Berkshire Medical Center are committed to nothing but the highest level of care and patient safety,” said David Phelps, president and CEO of Berkshire Health Systems. “Our organization is driven by the needs of our patients and our community, and these significant results validate our commitment to excellence.”

Added Diane Kelly, BMC’s chief operating officer, “our caregivers across the hospital and health system work consistently toward providing the highest standard of care and accept nothing less. Our outcomes demonstrate predictable, high-quality care that results from great clinicians and staff, state-of-the-art facilities and technology, and access to the best support services.”

The Hospital Safety Score uses 30 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient-safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. For the first time, the score includes five measures of patient-reported experience with the hospital as well as two of the most common infections, C.diff and MRSA.

“Avoidable deaths in hospitals should be the number-one concern of our healthcare leaders. Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ from Leapfrog are leaders in saving lives, and we commend them and urge their continued vigilance,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group.
To see Berkshire Medical Center’s full score, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.