Watauga Medical Center Earns 2024 Leapfrog Top Hospital Award for Outstanding Quality and Safety
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Boone, NC December 17, 2024 – Highlighting its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality, Watauga Medical Center was named a Top Rural Hospital by The Leapfrog Group. Announced today, the Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive awards American hospitals can receive. The Top Hospital designation is bestowed by The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers known as the toughest standard-setters for health care safety and quality. Top Hospitals will be honored tonight at the 2024 Leapfrog Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.
“I am incredibly proud of Watauga Medical Center for being named a top rural hospital,” said Chuck Mantooth, CEO of UNC Health Appalachian. “This recognition highlights the dedication and collaboration of our teammates, reflecting our core value of One Great Team and our unwavering commitment to delivering exceptional healthcare to our community.”
Nearly 2,400 hospitals were considered for the award. Among those, Watauga Medical Center received a Top Rural distinction. A total of 112 Top Hospitals were selected, including:
• 8 Top Children’s
• 28 Top General
• 7 Top Rural
• 69 Top Teaching
The quality of patient care across many areas of hospital performance is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology.
“Protecting patients from preventable harm is central to The Leapfrog Group’s mission,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Watauga Medical Center has set the standard for patient safety, earning the prestigious distinction of a Top Hospital. This elite honor reflects the exceptional efforts of the entire team and places Watauga Medical Center among the nation's elite in health care. Congratulations to all who made this remarkable achievement possible.”
To qualify for the distinction, hospitals must rank top among peers on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest standards for quality and patient safety and achieves top performance in their category. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2024 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.
About Watauga Medical Center
Watauga Medical Center, a member of UNC Health Appalachian, is licensed as a 117-bed regional referral medical complex, offering both primary and secondary acute and specialty care. Services include laboratory, imaging, radiology, physical and occupational rehabilitation therapy, respiratory therapy, surgical services, cancer treatment, heart and vascular services, sleep services, pain management, and emergency services. The medical center is certified by The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center and earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for Chest Pain Certification in 2018. The Seby B. Jones Regional Cancer Center, located on the campus of Watauga Medical Center is recognized as an approved community cancer care center by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. In July 2022, Appalachian Regional Healthcare System entered into a long-term Management Services Agreement (MSA) with UNC Health. This affiliation enables transformational change in primary care to improve lives in the High Country region of North Carolina. For more information, visit unchealthappalachian.org.
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 for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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.
