Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for spring 2022. This national distinction recognizes Piedmont Athens Regional’s achievements in protecting patients from preventable harm and error in the hospital.

 “We are proud of our record on quality, which our talented employees have worked hard to attain,” said Michael Burnett, CEO, Piedmont Athens Regional. “Quality, safety and service lie at the heart of how Piedmont Athens provides high-quality, patient-centered care and it is great to see us delivering on that.”

 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 over thirty national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries 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.

“As our health care system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of Piedmont Athens Regional for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.”