December 1, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio – For the second consecutive year, the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute has been named among the safest and most effective hospitals in the country, according to a national ranking from the Leapfrog List. The James is among 65 hospitals from a field of almost 1,200 to be named 2010 Leapfrog Top Hospitals based upon a rating system that provides an up-to-the-minute assessment of a hospital’s quality and safety.
The 2010 list, announced today during Leapfrog’s 10th anniversary meeting in Washington, D.C., includes university and other teaching hospitals, children’s hospitals and community hospitals in rural, suburban and urban settings. A complete list of 2010 Leapfrog Top Hospitals can be viewed at www.leapfroggroup.org.
The top hospitals list includes 58 adult hospitals and 7 children’s hospitals. The James is one of only two Ohio hospitals on the list. The Leapfrog Group is a consortium of about 150 Fortune 500 companies that pay for health care needs of an estimated 34 million Americans.
“For the second year in a row, our superior level of performance on quality and safety measures has been recognized by Leapfrog, and we are honored to be included in such an elite group of hospitals as we work to create a cancer-free world,” says Dr. Michael Caligiuri, director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.
The 2010 Top Hospitals list is based on almost 1,200 hospitals that responded to the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey as of Aug. 31. Data is collected from hospitals on their progress toward implementing practices in four categories: computerized physician order entry to prevent medication errors; standards for doing high-risk procedures; protocols and policies to reduce medical errors and other safe practices recommended by the National Quality Forum; and adequate nurse and physician staffing. In addition, hospitals are measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors.
“Earning the top hospital designation is a testament to the work of everyone in the hospital – the governing body, management, physicians, caregivers, employees, and volunteers,” said Leapfrog Chief Executive Leah Binder.
The James was also named to the Leapfrog list in 2009 and 2007.
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (cancer.osu.edu) is one of only 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States designated by the National Cancer Institute. Ranked by U.S. News & World Report among the top cancer hospitals in the nation, The James is the 180-bed adult patient-care component of the cancer program at The Ohio State University. The OSUCCC-James is one of only seven funded programs in the country approved by the NCI to conduct both Phase I and Phase II clinical trials.
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Eileen Scahill
Medical Center Public Affairs and Media Relations
614-293-3737
Eileen.Scahill@osumc.edu