Florida Hospital Waterman Earns only Fall 2016 A Grade for Safety in Lake County

Florida Hospital Waterman has once again been recognized for its dedication to patient safety by being awarded the only A grade in the Fall 2016 Hospital Safety Score in all of Lake County. The Hospital Safety Score grades a hospitals overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable medical errors, injuries and infections within the hospital. Florida Hospital Waterman is the only hospital in Lake County and Central Florida to earn eight consecutive A grades since Spring 2013.

Florida Hospital Waterman has consistently proven that our patients safety is our top priority, said David Ottati, President and Chief Executive Officer, Florida Hospital Waterman. We are proud of the honor and our track record. The A grade we have again received is a true indicator that our team is dedicated to providing safe, quality and compassionate care in a patient-centered environment.

The Hospital Safety Score is the gold standard rating for patient safety, compiled under the guidance of the nations leading patient safety experts and administered by The Leapfrog Group, a national, nonprofit hospital safety watchdog. The first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety, the Score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

Avoidable deaths in hospitals should be the number one concern of our health care leaders. Hospitals that earn an A from Leapfrog are leaders in saving lives, and we commend them and urge their continued vigilance, said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.

Developed under the direction of Leapfrog's Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospital's overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in April 2016, with 798 hospitals receiving an A grade. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score includes five measures of patient-reported experience with the hospital as well as two of the most common infections, C.diff and MRSA. The Hospital Safety Score offers a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website. Patients can also review their hospital's past safety performance alongside its current grade on the Hospital Safety Score site, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement.

To see Florida Hospital Watermans full score, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org or follow The Hospital Safety Score on Twitter or Facebook. Consumers can also download the free Hospital Safety Score mobile app for Apple and Android devices.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Hospital Safety Score, Leapfrogs other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.