News Release

Fort Wayne — Five Parkview Health hospitals received an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for fall 2021.

The “A” grade was awarded to Parkview Regional Medical Center (PRMC) and Affiliates, which includes Parkview Hospital Randallia; as well as Parkview DeKalb Hospital; Parkview Huntington Hospital; and Parkview Whitley Hospital. Parkview Noble Hospital was awarded a“B” grade. The national distinction recognizes the hospitals’ achievements in protecting patients from harm or error.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national 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.

This is the first “A” grade for Parkview Huntington Hospital and Parkview Whitley Hospital, which were previously not eligible to receive a grade based on patient volumes. The fall 2021 grading period also marks the fifth consecutive “A” for PRMC and Affiliates, and the third consecutive “A” for Parkview DeKalb Hospital.

“Safety and continuous improvement are both highest-priority at Parkview Whitley,” said Scott Gabriel, president of Parkview Whitley Hospital. “In fact, all of our co-workers are charged with the responsibility of actively looking for potential hazards and making note of them. We act on that information to eliminate any potentially unsafe situation and educate co-workers in new, safer approaches. Being recognized by Leapfrog for our efforts is great confirmation that our culture of continuous improvement is working to protect patients and provide a safe work environment for our co-workers.”

A Safety Grade was not calculated or reported for Parkview LaGrange Hospital or Parkview Wabash Hospital because the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade does not assess critical access hospitals. Parkview Warsaw was not included in the results because it is not yet a full-service hospital. That will be the case once construction is complete to expand Parkview Warsaw, creating Parkview Kosciusko Hospital.

“No matter their size, all of Parkview’s hospitals are focused on creating a safe environment as part of our focus on delivering value to our patients,” said Jeffrey Boord, MD, MPH, chief quality and safety officer, Parkview Health. “A safe environment is critical to creating better patient outcomes, a better patient experience and a lower overall cost of care. We’re proud of the efforts of all our hospitals in making our facilities safer every day.”

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 Parkview Health for its commitment to prioritizing patients and their safety, especially during these trying times.”

To see full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.