(Charleston, SC)  – Both Trident Medical Center and Summerville Medical Center received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction celebrates both Trident Health’s hospitals achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.

“Quality healthcare is safe, effective, and people-centered. It is also timely, integrated and efficient,” explained Trident Health Chief Medical Officer Jane Appleby, MD. “Earning an ‘A’ from Leapfrog, in addition to being recognized by Healthgrades as among America’s 250 Best Hospitals™ for two consecutive years, is evidence of Trident Health’s commitment to consistently providing quality care that is measurable and compassionate to our patients.”

Trident Health includes two acute care hospitals, 321-bed Trident Medical Center and 124-bed Summerville Medical Center, and three freestanding ERs – Brighton Park Emergency, Centre Pointe Emergency and Moncks Corner Medical Center. In June 2023, Trident Medical Center will open Live Oak Mental Health & Wellness, a 60-bed mental health hospital. It will provide inpatient and outpatient services for adolescents (12+) and adults. And, in August 2023 it will open its fourth freestanding ER, James Island Emergency. Trident Health recently announced more than $200M in capital investments that will increase access to care at both Trident Medical Center and Summerville Medical Center.

For more than a decade emergency medicine physician Scott Hayes, MD has been a member of Trident Health’s medical staff, which includes nearly 600 physicians. In addition to his role in the ER, he now serves as the health system’s chief of medical staff. “The Leapfrog and Healthgrades awards are especially rewarding considering the data that was reviewed was collected during the COVID epidemic. To me, the data indicates our physicians, nurses and other clinicians stayed focused on providing the best care for our patients, especially during an extended period when health systems across the country were under a lot of stress due to the epidemic.”

Trident Health President and CEO Christina Oh added, “Today’s announcement is evidence that our investment in our colleagues results in exceptional care for our patients. Providing care that consistently meets and exceeds the standards of what quality healthcare means requires an unwavering commitment from our nearly 3,000 colleagues.”

Summerville Medical Center CEO Jeff Taylor said, “Every employee and member of our medical staff are incredibly dedicated to our patients, who are often our family, friends and neighbors. The Leapfrog A grade is a recognition of their skill, compassion and commitment to providing the best care possible.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “But these hospitals received an ‘A’ despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring. To see Trident Medical Center and Summerville Medical Center’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.

(front row l - r) Trident Health Chief Medical Officer Jane Appleby, MD and Trident Health President and CEO Christina Oh celebrate with their colleagues at the announcement both Trident Medical Center and Summerville Medical Center earned national healthcare quality and patient safety awards.