Spectrum Health Among ‘Leapfrog Top Hospital’ List

Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital Ranks in Nation’s Top Hospitals for Second Consecutive Year

Spectrum Health has been recognized by The Leapfrog Group’s “Top Hospital” list for its outstanding work in quality and patient safety. Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital is one of 41 acute care U.S. hospitals named. This is the second year Leapfrog has published this list and Spectrum Health has been honored both years.

This listing is based on the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey, a national rating system that offers a broad assessment of a hospitals’ patient safety and clinical quality initiatives.

“Spectrum Health has made it a priority to deliver high-quality care and to improve patient safety,” said John Byrnes, M.D., senior vice president, system quality, Spectrum Health. “We are proud that our efforts are recognized once again by one of the nation’s foremost organizations in driving health care quality improvement. Spectrum Health will continue to lead the way in providing high quality care at a low cost.”

“Leapfrog Top Hospitals demonstrate an exceptional level of performance on quality and patient
safety measures, and serve as a model for other hospitals,” said Suzanne Delbanco, CEO, The
Leapfrog Group. “However, all of the participating hospitals deserve praise for their willingness
to reveal how well they perform on vital quality and safety practices.”

More than 1,200 hospitals voluntarily responded to the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey. New in this year’s results is information about bariatric and aortic valve surgery.

Leapfrog now considers surgeon experience in rating these and the other high-risk
surgeries that are part of Evidence-Based Hospital Referral (EBHR). To gauge surgeon experience, Leapfrog asked hospitals what percent of their surgeons meet the expert-defined standard of volume (number of procedures done each year) for the each of the EBHR procedures. Meeting Leapfrog’s recommended thresholds for surgeon experience is difficult for most hospitals.

Leapfrog Top Hospitals have made the greatest strides in meeting the organization’s quality standards. However, according to Leapfrog, the survey exposed many hospitals that still have significant progress to make. Among responding hospitals:

Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE)

Only 10 percent have fully implemented CPOE (another 4 percent plan to
implement it by 2008), representing slow progress since Leapfrog began tracking
implementation in 2002, when the figure was 2.5 percent.

ICU Physician Staffing (IPS)

Among hospitals with one or more ICUs, 29 percent enlist intensive care specialists
to manage patients in the ICU, and another 6 percent plan to do so by 2008. This is
a significant jump since 2002 when just 10 percent met the Leapfrog standard.
Leapfrog estimates that more than 20,000 lives are saved annually based on current
implementation of the IPS staffing leap; over 54,000 could be saved if the IPS
standard were implemented in all urban hospitals with ICUs.

Evidence-Based Hospital Referral (EBHR)

32 percent have neonatal intensive care units that meet Leapfrog’s specifications for
certain high-risk deliveries.
24 percent meet the standard for bariatric surgery.
7 percent meet the standard for pancreatic cancer resection.
5 percent meet the standard for esophageal cancer surgery.
3 percent meet the standard for percutaneous coronary interventions.
1 percent meet the standard for aortic valve replacement.

Leapfrog Safe Practices Score (SPS)

25 percent fully meet the standard for the Leapfrog Safe Practices Score, which
means that these hospitals have implemented the vast majority of each of the 27
National Quality Forum Safe Practices that comprise the Safe Practices Score.
44 percent have implemented procedures to avoid wrong-site surgeries (operating
on the wrong part of the body).
36 percent have an adequate hand-washing policy for its employees.
35 percent have a satisfactory policy for preventing pressure ulcers (bed sores).
29 percent require a pharmacist to review all medication orders before medication is
given to patients.

In addition to reporting quality data to national groups, Spectrum Health posts quality report cards on its Web site to help consumers make educated choices and underscore its commitment to national patient care initiatives.

“The Spectrum Health Quality Report Cards post quality data in eight clinical areas on our external Web site,” said Byrnes. “The report cards compare Spectrum Health’s scores to national and state benchmarks. The Leapfrog Group ranking validates the fact that we are moving in the right direction in providing this information to consumers.”

About The Leapfrog Group
On behalf of the millions of Americans for whom many of the nation’s largest corporations and public agencies buy health benefits, The Leapfrog Group aims to use its members’ collective leverage to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for Americans. It is a voluntary program aimed at mobilizing employer purchasing power to alert America’s health industry that big leaps in health care safety, quality and customer value will be recognized and rewarded. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 by the Business Roundtable and has support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as well as its members and other funders. For more information, visit www.leapfroggroup.org.

About Spectrum Health
Spectrum Health is a not-for-profit health system in West Michigan that offers a full continuum of care through its seven hospitals, more than 140 service sites and 665,000-member health plan, Priority Health. Spectrum Health’s 13,000 employees, 1,400 medical staff members and 2,000 volunteers are committed to delivering the highest quality care to those in medical need. The organization provided nearly $100 million in community benefit during its 2007 fiscal year. Spectrum Health has earned more than 50 national awards during the past 10 years.