Palomar Medical Center
Palomar Medical Center in Poway. (Alexander Nguyen/KPBS)

Palomar Medical Center Poway has earned an “A” in Hospital Safety from the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog.

Leapfrog assigns grades ranging from “A” to “F” to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections. The group determines the scores based on evaluations of the systems hospitals use to prevent the problems.  

“We’re so proud of our Poway campus for their incredible commitment to patient safety, and offering an extraordinary patient experience,” said Diane Hansen, President and CEO of Palomar Health. “These types of recognitions all reflect our mission to treat each and every patient like family and providing the best possible outcomes for our patients.” 

 The Leapfrog safety grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally.

The grades are peer-reviewed, transparent and open to the public. Grades are updated twice a year, in the fall and spring.  

“Everyone who works at Palomar Health should be proud of this ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group. “It takes complete dedication at every level and an ironclad commitment to putting patients first. I thank Palomar Health’s leadership, clinicians, staff and volunteers for caring so deeply for its patients and their safety.” 

Palomar Health also has earned the Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades for preventative initiatives that recognize efforts to minimize and eliminate errors.