North Platte, Neb. For the second rating period in a row, Great Plains Regional Medical Center received an A rating in patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, a national leader in hospital quality performance assessment surveys. Great Plains Regional Medical Center is the only Nebraska hospital west of Omaha to receive this distinguished designation.

“The recent rating demonstrates our shared commitment to ensuring patient safety and seeking continual improvement in the delivery of quality care,” said Pam Sweeney, Great Plains Medical Center vice president of quality.

To determine hospital ratings, The Leapfrog Group graded 2,618 hospitals across the country on an “A, B, C, D or F” scale. Hospital safety scores were determined by hospitals’ performance on 26 measures of hospital safety data from the Leapfrog hospital survey, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey.

According to Sweeney, emphasis on programs developed to reduce patient falls in the hospital, reducing medication errors and implementing relevant technology have all contributed to the success Great Plains has experienced in patient safety ratings.

“I am extremely proud of the care that the people of Great Plains Regional Medical Center provide day-in and day-out,” said Greg Nielsen, Great Plains Regional Medical chief executive officer. “To have this work recognized on a national level is extremely rewarding and a tribute to the tireless work of our employees. The Leapfrog Group A rating validates our many efforts to become a regional health care leader in providing the best care and safest patient experience possible.”