LLU Surgical Hospital wins national teaching school honor
Loma Linda Surgical Hospital, a 28-bed specialty unit of Loma Linda University Health, is one of 29 facilities named a Top Teaching Hospital for 2016 by The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit promoting healthcare quality nationally.
The designation of Top Hospital is based on the results of the 2016 Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates and a hospital’s ability to prevent medication errors.
This outstanding achievement was the result of extraordinary teamwork. LLU Surgical Hospital provides more than 20,000 outpatient visits each year.
This recognition showcases LLU Surgical Hospital’s commitment to patient safety and quality, as Leapfrog Top Hospital Awards are widely acknowledged as one of the most prestigious distinctions a hospital can receive.
“Being acknowledged as a Top Hospital is an incredible feat achieved by less than 3 percent of hospitals nationwide,” says Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “With this honor, Loma Linda University Surgical Hospital has established its commitment to safer and higher quality care. Providing this level of care to patients in Loma Linda requires motivation and drive from every team member. I congratulate the board, staff, and clinicians whose efforts made this honor possible.” [GK1]
According to the organization’s website, “The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care purchasers, using their collective influence to foster positive change in U.S. health care. Leapfrog is the nation’s premier advocate of hospital transparency—collecting, analyzing and disseminating hospital data to inform value-based purchasing.”
Loma Linda administrators Marie Hodgkins and Lyndon Edwards hold the Top Teaching Hospital Award after receiving it Dec. 6 in Washington, DC. They are pictured with individuals including Leapfrog’s Leah Binder (center, in red) & Laurel Pickering (right). Image by LLU
“This is a recognition of the world-class patient care Surgical Hospital provides, and we are grateful for the recognition,” says Kerry Heinrich, CEO, Loma Linda University Medical Center. “This would not be attainable without the men and women dedicated to serving our mission ‘to continue the teaching healing ministry of Jesus Christ’ every day at Surgical Hospital including clinical and administrative staff and volunteers. Thank you for making this the very place it is today.”
Lyndon Edwards, MBA, MHS, senior vice president of adult hospital services, and Marie Hodgkins, MBA, executive director, supplemental staffing network, accepted the award from Leapfrog executives Dec. 6 in Washington, DC.
“I think it is a testament to the teamwork that has always existed at the Surgical Hospital between our physicians, nurses and all of our clinicians,” Edwards said. “They are so focused on doing the best job for every patient who comes through the door. This is a symbol of that great work.”
Hodgkins noted, “This award is a validation of the hard work that the patient care team has done at Surgical Hospital. When Loma Linda purchased it in 2008, one of the goals was to set the bar for excellence in patient care, and this is a validation that our healthcare team has done that.”
LLU Surgical Hospital is a 28-bed facility focusing on inpatient and outpatient services within select specialties. Top-of-the-line technology including robotic surgery technology and laparascopic capabilities is provided in six operating rooms that support the focus on state-of-the-art care.