Children's National Health System named a 2016 Leapfrog Group Top Hospital

Children’s National Health System is proud to once again receive the Leapfrog Group’s prestigious Top Hospital designation in recognition of the safe, quality care that we deliver every day to our patients. Children’s is the only hospital in Washington, DC, and one of only nine other children’s hospitals in the nation, to be included on the Top Hospital List. Selection is based on the results of the Leapfrog Group’s annual hospital survey, which measures performance across many areas of hospital care, including infection rates and prevention of medication errors. The complete list of Leapfrog Top Hospitals, the survey methodology, and more details about criteria can be found at www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.

Quality remains a priority for Children’s National and our providers, who are committed to giving all pediatric patients a chance to grow up stronger. Recent quality improvement projects include:

• The Spinal Fusion Surgical Home at Children’s National implements a newly developed model of care to streamline and optimize the spinal fusion process for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients. The first of its kind for pediatric patients, the Spinal Fusion Surgical Home was developed by a multidisciplinary team using the frameworks of care used in adult models along with best practices and literature reviews. By implementing the standardized protocols, Children’s has seen a decrease in the average length of stay for spinal fusion patients from around five days to three and a half days, while simultaneously improving the patient experience. The transfusion rate has reduced from 30 to 12 percent, and patient pain scores have decreased. Learn more about the Spinal Fusion Surgical Home.
• Quality and Safety Boards in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (ICU) prominently display quality measures and preventative actions for hospital acquired conditions including ventilator-acquired pneumonia, unplanned tracheal extubation, and catheter-associated blood stream infections. The boards, which recently received the District of Columbia Hospital Association (DCHA) 2016 Patient Safety Award, encourage family members to partner with care providers in patient care. Read the press release.

Providing care to more than 218,000 patients annually, Children’s National is dedicated to improving the lives of all children through innovative research, high quality healthcare, and advocacy on behalf of children’s needs. In addition to being named a 2016 Leapfrog Group Top Hospital, Children’s National is a Magnet^® designated hospital, recognized for nursing excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and is one of only four pediatric hospitals in the country to have been ranked in the top 20 in every one of the 10 specialty areas rated by U.S. News & World Report. 

To learn more, read the press release.