For Immediate Release
Maryanne Boster
Director of Corporate Communications
Virginia Hospital Center
tel: 703.558.6581

Arlington, VA: April 30, 2020 – Virginia Hospital Center (VHC), a community-based hospital providing medical services to the Washington, DC metropolitan area for 75 years, has achieved an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for the 16th consecutive time. VHC is one of only 45 hospitals in the nation with 16 "A"s in a row (Straight A since Spring 2020).The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization driven by employers and other purchasers of health care committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. With the Hospital Safety Grades, Leapfrog assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.

“This spring, as we work to combat the novel coronavirus, the VHC team has demonstrated continued commitment to patient safety in the face of unprecedented challenges,” said Jeffrey DiLisi, MD, MBA, Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer of Virginia Hospital Center. “Receiving our 16th consecutive ‘A’ grade from the Leapfrog Group reassures our community that VHC remains a safe place to seek urgent or emergency care.”

Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 national performance measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign the grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

“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 Virginia Hospital Center. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”

To see more details on Virginia Hospital Center’s Hospital Safety Grade, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.