BWH joined its PHS counterpart MGH this year as two of only five hospitals in the nation receiving perfect scores on the Leapfrog Group Initiative. Leapfrog is the primary employer-based coalition with more than 100 members. Nationally, more than 560 hospitals reported data to the Leapfrog Group, which assessed quality on a variety of dimensions.

“We are pleased to be recognized as one of a very small number of hospitals with perfect scores on the Leapfrog Group reporting dimensions,” said Andy Whittemore, MD. “While quality care is difficult to quantify, this is one indication that we are on the right track at BWH.”

BWH and MGH were the only two hospitals among the U.S. News & World Report Top Ten hospitals that reported to Leapfrog and met every standard. The hospitals were the only two of 40 Massachusetts hospitals to reach this threshold.

Leapfrog measures along three safety areas of focus: computer order entry systems; volume in six service areas; and ICU staffing levels with those with credentials in critical care medicine. Interestingly only 3.3 percent of responding hospitals had computerized patient order entry in place.