Berkshire Medical Center Recognized with ‘A’ Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

PITTSFIELD — Berkshire Medical Center received an ‘A’ Leapfrog hospital safety grade for fall 2021. This national distinction recognizes BMC’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and error in the hospital.

“Providing the highest level of safe patient care is not an individual effort. It is achieved thanks to a dedicated team of physicians, nurses, advanced-practice professionals, technologists, pharmacists, and all other staff who collaborate to deliver exceptional care to our Berkshire community,” said Dr. James Lederer, chief medical officer/chief quality officer of Berkshire Health Systems. “We are grateful to our entire BMC team, who work hard to earn this grade-A recognition with every patient encounter, every day.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an ‘A,’ ‘B,’ ‘C,’ ‘D,’ or ‘F’ grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents, and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

“An ‘A’ safety grade is a tremendous achievement, of which this community should be extremely proud,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group. “I thank the leadership and workforce of Berkshire Medical Center for its commitment to prioritizing patients and their safety, especially during these trying times.”