South LA hospital is a repeat winner of the prestigious Leapfrog designation
Willowbrook, Calif. April 30 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital (MLKCH) is again in the top third of hospitals in the nation for patient safety, according to the latest report card issued by the Leapfrog Group.
Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grade is a bi-annual evaluation of more than 2,600 hospitals nationwide on how well they protect their patients from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. MLKCH received an “A” rating, achieved by only one-third of the hospitals Leapfrog evaluates.
The recognition is particularly notable as MLKCH serves a community with a high burden of disease, including high rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity.
“We have more complex patients than many hospitals yet we achieve equal, if not better, outcomes,” said MLKCH CEO Dr. Elaine Batchlor. “That is in large part because of our hospital’s uncompromising commitment to high-quality care.”
Ending an 8 year period in which South LA had no hospital, MLKCH opened in 2015 as an all-digital hospital with state-of-the-art technology. It has since then been rated HIMSS-7, the highest level of excellence for the use of healthcare technology, achieved by only 6.4% of hospitals nationwide. The community hospital has also won state and national accolades for its quality, high patient satisfaction rates, and innovative approaches to care.
“As the nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and health care workers everywhere for their tremendous dedication,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We hope this ‘A’ helps to thank the people who work and volunteer for MLKCH. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, MLKCH has ensured its community has access to accurate, easy-to-understand information and tools on the virus to protect themselves and “flatten the curve,” such as the “Ask Mia,” virtual assistant that instantly provides advice and a dedicated COVID-19 website with numerous resources.
For more information on MLKCH, please contact: Gwen Driscoll, MLKCH: 310-720-4441/ gdriscoll@mlkch.org. If you are interested in supporting MLKCH, please visit http://mlk-chf.org/covid19-response.
About MLKCH
Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital is an award-winning safety-net hospital serving one of the most medically-underserved areas in the nation. Since its opening in 2015, the hospital has garnered awards and headlines for its innovative approaches to quality, safety and patient satisfaction. MLKCH is one of only 6.4% of hospitals in the nation to achieve HIMSS-7, the highest level of technological excellence. It has received an “A” rating from the patient safety rating organization LeapFrog and is in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide measured by Press Ganey for patient satisfaction. In 2019, the hospital’s CEO, Dr. Elaine Batchlor, won the James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine.