Freeman Recognized Again for Patient Safety

Joplin, Mo – For the third time in a row, Freeman Health System was honored with an “A” grade in The Leapfrog Group Fall 2015 Hospital Safety Score. Freeman is one of eight hospitals in Missouri to receive the grade. The score rates how well hospitals protect patients from errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

“We are proud to have our physicians and staff recognized for their commitment to patient safety,” said Paula F. Baker, Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer. “When patients come to Freeman Health System, they receive safe, state-of-the-art care that excels in quality time and time again.”

The Hospital Safety Score is compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety by The Leapfrog Group. The first and only safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the “Journal of Patient Safety” the score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single-letter grade.

Consumers can view scores online free of charge. To see how Freeman Health System’s score compares locally and nationally, visit hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Freeman Health System – Celebrating 90 Years
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2015, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers. U.S. News & World Report ranked Freeman one of the top Hospitals in Southwest Missouri in 2014-15, and The Leapfrog Group awarded Freeman the highest grade possible in the Fall 2015 Hospital Patient Safety Score. With more than 300 physicians on staff representing more than 60 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart and vascular care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services and women’s services. Additionally, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com or facebook.com/freemanhealthsystem or follow Freeman President and Chief Executive Officer Paula Baker at twitter.com/freemanceo. #FreemanTurns90