BAYSTATE MEDICAL CENTER NAMED ONE OF ONLY 41 HOSPITALS NATIONWIDE NAMED TO "LEAPFROG TOP HOSPITALS" LIST

Significant Gaps in Safety and Quality Practices Among Other Hospitals

Still the Norm according to The Leapfrog Group

Baystate Medical Center has received national recognition for the second year in a row for its high-quality patient care and safety as one of only 41 hospitals in the United States to be named to the Leapfrog Top Hospitals list.

The national list, announced recently by The Leapfrog Group, is based on results from the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey, a national rating system that offers a broad assessment of a hospital's quality and safety.

"Our continuing status as a top Leapfrog hospital is a testimony to the hard work of many individuals who are elevating the standard of care we deliver at Baystate Medical Center to new levels, reaching new heights in clinical and service excellence, and carrying out our charitable mission in compassionate ways," said Mark R. Tolosky, president and CEO of Baystate Health.

"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 raise the veil on how well they perform on vital quality and safety practices."

The Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey is the most complete and current assessment of hospital quality and safety available in the United States and the 2007 Top Hospitals list is based on 1,285 hospitals that responded to the survey.

Data is collected from hospitals on their progress toward implementing practices in four categories in which Baystate Medical Center has met and exceeded Leapfrog requirement, noted Dr. Evan Benjamin, vice president, Healthcare Quality, Baystate Medical Center.

• Computerized Physician Order Entry: Do physicians enter patient prescriptions and other orders into computers linked to error prevention software?
• ICU Physician Staffing: Are intensive care units staff by trained ICU intensivists?
• Evidence-Based Hospital Referral: How well do hospitals perform seven high-risk procedures and care of three high risk neonatal conditions.
• Leapfrog Safety Practices Score: How well are hospitals progressing on the other 27 National Quality Forum Safe Practices?

New in this year's survey results is information about bariatric and aortic valve surgery. In addition, Leapfrog now considers surgeon experience in rating these and the other high-risk surgeries that are part of Evidence-Based Hospital Referral. According to Leapfrog officials, meeting their recommended thresholds for surgeon experience is difficult for most hospitals.

This year, hospitals also reported for the first time on their level of transparency as measured by their participation in other public quality reporting efforts. The survey's Transparency Indicator reveals that an impressive 96% participate in at least one reporting effort in addition to the Leapfrog Survey.

Ellen Stovall, president and CEO, National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, praised The Leapfrog Group for introducing the Transparency Indicator. "This part of the Leapfrog Survey gives consumers a good idea about how committed a hospital is to being forthright about their quality and safety track record," she said.

If all non-rural hospitals in the United States implemented computer physician order entry, ICU physician staffing and just five of the EBHR conditions (not including bariatric surgery and aortic valve replacement) , over 65,000 lives per year could be saved and over 907,000 serious medication errors prevented (John D. Birkmeyer, MD, University of Michigan, 2004). Moreover, the U.S. health care system could save approximately $41.5 billion annually. (Conrad and Gardner, University of Washington, 2005).

"Our shared vision for the future is to be one of the leading health systems in the nation, and the exemplary work of our staff is getting us there," Tolosky said.

Recently, Baystate Medical Center was named one of "America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News and World Report.

Further recognizing its national efforts in healthcare quality, Baystate Medical Center was recently named a 100 Top Hospital by Thomson in 2006 and has received the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence for three consecutive years. Winner of the 2006 Premier Award for Quality, Baystate Medical Center is also the only western New England hospital to receive Magnet status from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

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. The Leapfrog Group was founded in November 2000 by the Business Roundtable and is supported by its members, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The Community Fund, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and other sources. For more information, visit www.leapfroggroup.org