LINCOLN SQUARE — Swedish Covenant was the lone Chicago hospital to earn a "top hospital" honor from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit consortium of the country's largest health care insurance purchasers.
The 2013 Leapfrog Top Hospitals list was released Tuesday. Fifty-five urban hospitals, 22 rural hospitals and 13 children's hospitals were recognized for delivering the highest quality care in terms of preventing medical errors, reducing mortality rates for high-risk procedures and reducing re-admissions for patients being treated for conditions like pneumonia.
More than 1,300 hospitals participated in Leapfrog's survey.
Hospitals are measured in a number of categories, including appropriate ICU staffing, maternity care, reduction in hospital-acquired infections and length of stay for common acute conditions.
In a statement, Mark Newton, CEO of Swedish Covenant, 5145 N. California Ave., offered up examples of the best practices that contributed to the hospital's award. Among them: a team-based approach to care that resulted in a zero percent in-hospital and operative mortality rate for open heart bypass surgery over the past two years.
Additionally, 100 percent of Swedish Covenant's open heart patients were referred to cardiac rehab, 11 percent higher than the national average, according to Newton.
The Leapfrog Group formed in 2000 around the issue of reducing preventable medical mistakes, with the goal of rewarding hospitals that demonstrate improvement in safety and quality. Leapfrog members include FedEx, Verizon, General Motors, CBS and Marriott International.
