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The Claiborne Medical Center just keeps earning awards – this time the national nonprofit Leapfrog Group has bestowed its highest honor on the facility.

The CMC earned an ‘A’ for hospital safety from the nonprofit watchdog that sets standards for excellence in patient care.

Leapfrog assigns a grade between A and F to the plethora of general hospitals that stretch across the nation based on over 30 national performance measures. Those include errors, accidents, injuries and infections. The final score also looks at just how well the hospital systems work to prevent harm.

“I am very proud of our Claiborne team and the dedication and compassion they show every day to our patients,” said Patti Ketterman, Chief Administrative Officer at Claiborne Medical Center. “I want to congratulate them for again achieving an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group. Our hospital means a lot to this community, and our employees take seriously their responsibility to provide excellent patient care.”

Medical errors, infections and injuries kill more than 500 patients each day across the nation. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only one of its kind that exclusively rates hospital prevention of these forms of safety hazards. The safety grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice a year, during the autumn and spring seasons.

Leah Binder, President/CEO of The Leapfrog Group, commented that CMCs earning of the top grade means that the facility has made a true commitment to putting patients first.

“We congratulate the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement,” said Binder.

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group continues to strive for giant leaps in patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and the Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest value care while giving consumers lifesaving information needed to make informed decisions.

To access the Claiborne Medical Center’s full grade details and patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, log onto:  www.HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

Claiborne Medical Center is located in Tazewell and is a member of Covenant Health, a community-owned health system providing comprehensive services in Tennessee. Claiborne Medical Center’s mission is to serve the community by improving the quality of life through better health.

For more information about Claiborne Medical Center, go to:  www.covenanthealth.com/claiborne/.