Salinas Valley Health Earns Leapfrog Full Transparency Badge

SALINAS, Calif. - Salinas Valley Health has earned the inaugural Leapfrog Full Transparency Badge, a new national designation recognizing hospitals that voluntarily and publicly report comprehensive patient safety and quality data through the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey.

The Full Transparency Badge is awarded to hospitals that complete, affirm and submit all sections of the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, one of the nation's leading voluntary reporting programs focused on patient safety, quality and transparency. While hospitals report quality data to a variety of accrediting organizations and regulatory agencies, Leapfrog is the only national reporting program designed exclusively to provide patients and families with meaningful, publicly accessible information about the safety and quality of their care.

"At Salinas Valley Health, our consecutive 'A' Hospital Safety Grades from Leapfrog reflect the quality of the care we provide and the new Full Transparency Badge reflects the integrity behind our commitment to quality,” said Allen Radner, MD, Salinas Valley Health President/CEO. "We are proud of both recognitions because they represent our mission and our staff’s dedication. Especially as healthcare systems across the country face an increasingly challenging fiscal environment, being transparent about our performance is an important part of maintaining the trust our community places in us every day."

The new transparency designation complements Salinas Valley Health's longstanding record of excellence in patient safety and clinical quality. In addition to earning consecutive "A" Hospital Safety Grades from The Leapfrog Group, Salinas Valley Health has received a Four-Star Overall Hospital Quality Rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, earned Magnet with Distinction® recognition for nursing excellence, and has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a High Performing Hospital in multiple adult procedures and conditions.

"We applaud Salinas Valley Health for its commitment to transparency," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "Transparency is one of the most powerful drivers of improvement in health care. By fully participating in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, Salinas Valley Health is helping patients and families access meaningful information about the safety and quality of their care."

The Leapfrog Full Transparency Badge appears on Leapfrog's public Hospital Ratings website, identifying hospitals that have made a voluntary commitment to openly sharing their performance with the communities they serve.

Media Contact: Karina Rusk
831-759-1843