SAINT JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL GARNERS HIGHEST SAFETY RANKINGS

Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield has received the highest composite rating among participating Wisconsin medical centers on safety measures identified by the Leapfrog Group, a national consortium of Fortune 500 companies and other health care purchasers.

Ranking is determined by adding results based on a compliance scale of 25%, 50%, 75% or full implementation in these four quality and safety "leaps" set forth by Leapfrog:

1. Volume and patient outcomes for six, high-risk complex treatments and procedures.
2. Progress toward implementing Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE).
3. The extent to which physician intensivists care for patients in the Critical and Intensive Care Units.
4. A composite score based on 28 nationally recognized "safe practices" at the hospital, grouped together in the areas of:

   a. Creating a safety culture
   b. Effective communication among health care workers
   c. Doctor and patient communications
   d. Prevention of infections
   e. Prevention of medical errors
   f. Avoidance of mistakes and prevention of complications

Fully implemented Leapfrog's Recommended quality and safety leap. Good progress in implementing leapfrog's recommended quality and safety leap. Good early stage effort in implementing Leapfrog's recommended quality and safety leap. Willing to report publicly; did not yet meet Leapfrog's criteria for a good early stage effort. Did not disclose this information. Not applicable - e.g. Pancreatic resection does not apply because hospital does not perform pancreatic resections Not Targeted - Leapfrog members did not request the hospital's response to these questions but the hospital has voluntarily participated in other sections of the survey. For rural hospitals, not all leaps apply. The Quality Index (made up of 27 NQF-endorsed Safe Practices) is the first leap that applies to rural hospitals.

Leapfrog sorts the self-reported data and packages it on a web site that is searchable by zip code, thereby allowing consumers and business decision makers to compare results from two or more competing medical facilities within a particular radius.

For the "high risk treatments" standard, Saint Joseph's Hospital has fully satisfied five of six standards: coronary artery bypass, percutaneous coronary intervention, esophagectomy, pancreatic resection and high-risk deliveries and neonatal intensive care unit.

For the final standard, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, the Marshfield hospital was recognized for making "good progress in implementing Leapfrog's recommended quality and safety leap." No Wisconsin hospital had sufficient volume for this uncommon procedure to fully meet the Leapfrog recommendation.

Leapfrog's mission is to trigger significant improvements in quality, customer service and affordability of health care, endorsing "best practices" in safety developed by the National Quality Forum. It conducts an annual voluntary survey of hospitals measuring performance on the best practices, aimed at mobilizing employer purchasing power to alert America's health industry that big leaps in health care safety, quality and customer value will be recognized and rewarded.

The Leapfrog Group Hospital Quality and Safety Survey, launch in 2001, is now in its third version.

For complete local, state and national benchmarking results, visit www.leapfroggroup.org

In addition to the Leapfrog quality index, Saint Joseph's Hospital voluntarily participates in two other statewide public reporting initiatives:

• The Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) CheckPoint www.wicheckpoint.org, providing consumers, employers, insurers and providers with valid, timely information on the quality and safety of care that is provided in Wisconsin hospitals. The 122 hospitals reporting to CheckPoint provide care to nearly 99 percent of the state's patient population.
• The Wisconsin Collaborative on Healthcare Quality www.wchq.org. The collaborative measures and reports on the quality of health care provided by the participating health care providers. The Collaborative is unique because it works with business and labor partners to identify quality measures that help define value across the entire spectrum of health care.