April 30, 2020 – Caribou, Maine: Cary Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ in The Leapfrog Group’s Spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes Cary’s achievements providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade is a letter grade assigned to all general hospitals across the country and updated every six months, assessing how well the hospital prevents medical errors and other harms to patients. Cary has been awarded the highest score awarded by Leapfrog in 8 of the nine year history of the program.

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

Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 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.
Kris Doody, RN and Chief Executive Officer at Cary Medical Center said that while the current COVID-19 Pandemic has absorbed so much of the hospital’s energy, it is reassuring to be recognized by an independent national organization for the quality of work being performed.

“We have established certain standards and quality measures that have really become a way of life at Cary”, said Doody who is also CEO for Pines Health Services. “This level of recognition and the consistency by which we have been awarded the ‘A’ grade over the years reinforces all the hard work to achieve such a high level of quality”

Doody also praised her staff at Cary and Pines for their efforts in the midst of the pandemic. “Our staff, in every department, is very much involved in helping us to cope with this current crisis. Every day they demonstrate their courage and dedication to come to work, after hearing about multiple and tragic experiences of many of their colleagues around the country. It is an inspiration and we are so grateful for their commitment to patient care”.

Leapfrog released the results of its most recent survey of hospitals on April 30th.

About the Leapfrog Group:
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, the Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

About Cary Medical Center:
Cary Medical Center is a general acute care hospital located in Caribou, Maine. The hospital has been recognized nationally for its efforts in clinical quality, patient safety and patient satisfaction. Cary Medical Center has established a unique relationship with Veterans of the United States Armed Services and was the first hospital in the nation to develop a VA Community Based Outpatient Clinic on its campus. Cary also is the site of the Caribou Maine Veterans Home and Residential Care Center.