Grand Strand Medical Center earns sixth 'A' grade in a row for patient safety

Myrtle Beach, SC (April 29, 2021) – Grand Strand Medical Center was, once again, awarded an ‘A’ grade from The Leapfrog Group’s Spring 2021 Hospital Safety Grade for the sixth time in a row.  The designation recognizes the hospital’s focus in protecting patients from harm and providing safer healthcare services.  The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers.  The Safety Grade 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 achievement is a testament to the exceptional work being done consistently in our hospital,” said Dr. George Helmrich, chief medical officer of Grand Strand Health. “We continue working to meet the needs of our Grand Strand communities while providing the highest level of care in the safest way possible. Grand Strand Health has proven time and time again that patients coming to our facilities have a lesser chance of succumbing to infections, surgical errors and patient injuries,” added Helmrich.

“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but Grand Strand Medical Center shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.”

Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public. To see full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.