FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
06/06/2022
For more information, contact Gretchen Youngren.

SAMARITAN HEALTHCARE ACHIEVES HISTORIC SAFETY GRADE.

MOSES LAKE – Samaritan Healthcare’s hospital recently received their highest safety and quality grade of all time. The grade is determined by Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, which examined more than 30 safety and quality categories, with hundreds of elements within each category. Although Leapfrog does not officially release a ranking by organization, the nature of scoring shows Samaritan ranks within the top 30 for Washington hospitals. The grades are released in the spring and the fall.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent, nonprofit organization that has analyzed and published public safety data on hospitals for more than 20 years with the goal of ensuring patient safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade awarded 100% of the available points to Samaritan in categories such as staff and leadership working together to prevent errors, support for nursing workforce, tracking medications, and responding to unforeseen major events.

“One challenge during the pandemic was ensuring the same level of high-quality care, while dealing with a never-before-seen crisis known as COVID-19,” said Kurt Kuykendall, Director of Quality and Risk Management at Samaritan Healthcare. “We already had measures in place to manage and improve our safety and quality initiatives, then we had to increase our efforts above and beyond the existing plan. We devised entirely new ways to assist our residents, communities, and staff both during and after the pandemic. Knowing our grade improved during these unprecedented times shows the commitment by our staff to truly live our mission; all of us, for each of you, every time.”

One example of how Samaritan performed at a high level during COVID-19 was in following strict protocols to safely reopen their pulmonary and cardiac departments amid the pandemic. They were the first and only pulmonary rehab program open for several months and the first cardiac clinic to reopen in the state, in order to assist recovering COVID patients and others regain their lung function. (Both departments are certified by American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation–AACVPR.)

“Despite the extreme strain on our staffing during that time, we were committed to going above and beyond anything we’d planned to meet the needs of our area,” said Kuykendall. “After the virus subsided, some area residents were so pleased with Samaritan’s pandemic response, they chose to continue their care with us.”

“This historic grade shows our commitment to our patients’ experience and the quality of care provided,” said Theresa Sullivan, CEO at Samaritan Healthcare. “By expanding our services and increasing our ability to meet the needs of our area—whether during a pandemic or day-to-day—we will continue to advance our standard of care, but we couldn’t do it without our highly qualified,  supportive staff and welcoming community. We are continually guided by our vision: ‘Together, serving as the trusted regional healthcare partner.’”