How This Missoula Hospital Gets a “A” in Patient Safety

One of Montana's leading hospitals is getting a significant "A" rating when it comes to patient safety.

And hospital officials say patients and their families are part of that success.

Missoula's Community Medical Center is receiving word of the top mark from The Leapfrog Group, one of the leading nonprofit groups that ranks hospitals based on 30 different performance measures.

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This is a hard mark to achieve

Leapfrog Group's analysis is one of the top marks in the healthcare business, focusing specifically on steps that are keeping patients safe from accidents, errors, injuries, and infections.

CMC's Chief Nursing Officer, Hollie Nagel says the check covers everything from budget and leadership to the bedside.

"They look at hand washing. Weather washing their hands back in and out of the rooms," Nagel explains. "They look at things like, are we doing bedside shift reports, where we spend time with the patient at their bedside, at each handoff to make sure they understand their plan of care.

“We are proud to be recognized among the nation’s best for patient safety,” said Bonnie Stephens, MD, Community Medical Center’s Chief Medical Officer. “We have worked hard to develop a culture at Community that is focused on safety. This award reflects the dedication, care and professionalism our staff and medical providers exhibit each day to keep our patients safe from harm.”

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Patients, doing their part to keep Community Medical Center safe

Nagel says CMC's patients, their families, and visitors, have also been beneficial for the hospital to maintain high safety standards. And that includes helping patients understand medical terms, and answer questions.

"There's never a silly question, or question that shouldn't be asked," says Nagel. "We want to make sure that our patients and their families and support systems know exactly how they can impact their own health when they walk out of our door."

"We want our families and our patients to be confident when they leave. So that we can make sure they have everything they need to be successful when they leave us."