BELFAST — Highlighting its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality, Waldo County General Hospital was named a Top Rural Hospital by The Leapfrog Group for the first time since 2009.

The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive, according to a news release. The Top Hospital designation is awarded by The Leapfrog Group, an independent hospital watchdog organization.  

“This Leapfrog Top Rural Hospital designation reflects Waldo County General Hospital’s commitment to providing the highest quality patient centered care in the Midcoast,” said Kent Clark, MD, Chief Medical Officer, in the release. “This reward is reflection of the excellent care our clinicians and staff provide to our patients on a daily basis. We are honored to be recognized alongside so many distinguished facilities.”

Among thousands of hospitals in the country, Waldo County General Hospital received a Top Rural Hospital distinction, recognized nationally alongside:

13 Top Children’s Hospitals
35 Top General Hospitals
17 Top Rural Hospitals
53 Top Teaching Hospitals

Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology.

“Being acknowledged as a Top Hospital is an incredible feat achieved by less than six percent of eligible hospitals nationwide,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, in the release. “With this honor, Waldo County General Hospital has established its commitment to safer and higher quality care. Providing this level of care to patients in Belfast, Maine requires motivation and drive from every team member. I congratulate the board, staff and clinicians, whose efforts made this honor possible.”

To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must submit a Leapfrog Hospital Survey and achieve highest performance in its category. The selection of Top Hospitals 2018 is based on surveys from nearly 1,900 hospitals.

To see the full list of institutions honored as 2018 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.

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.

 
Waldo County General Hospital

Waldo County General Hospital is a 2017 Becker’s Hospital Review Critical Access Hospital to Know that operates as a family of services with Waldo County Medical Partners and Penobscot Shores Retirement Community. 

Through these organizations, we are committed to providing excellent care for patients and their families in a friendly, caring atmosphere. Services are provided as efficiently as possible with an eye on the future and in collaboration with other community-minded agencies.

Waldo County General Hospital is a member of the MaineHealth system and Coastal Healthcare Alliance. For more information, please visit wcgh.org.