The Leapfrog Group has named four MaineHealth hospitals – LincolnHealth, Pen Bay Medical Center, Waldo County General Hospital and Stephens Memorial Hospital – as Top Rural Hospitals 2020. Leapfrog’s Top Rural Hospital Awards recognize achievements in patient safety and quality.

LincolnHealth is no stranger to earning this prestigious honor, being named to the list in eight of the last 10 years.

“This award is a clear reflection of our focus on delivering care that produces positive patient outcomes in an environment where patient safety is our primary concern,’’ said Jim Donovan, president of LincolnHealth. “Quality and safety are a part of everything we do, and while we are very proud of this honor, we will continue our efforts to improve each and every day.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national quality evaluator. It considered more than 2,200 hospitals from across the country for a Top Hospital Award. Only 105 hospitals were recognized as Top Hospitals, and just 19 were designated as Top Rural Hospitals. MaineHealth hospitals made up more than 1/5 of the rural hospitals that were chosen nationwide for the award.

“These recognitions by The Leapfrog Group are a reflection of MaineHealth’s commitment to high-quality, safe, patient-centered care,” said MaineHealth Chief Medical Officer Joan Boomsma, MD. “MaineHealth is proud to put safety first.”

The quality of patient care across many areas of hospital performance is considered in establishing the qualifications for the Top Rural Hospital Award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. The standards are defined in each year’s Leapfrog Top Hospital Methodology.

"The Top Hospitals designation is Leapfrog's most competitive and elite national award,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This is an extraordinary feat in any year, but even more so in 2020 as hospitals have navigated the unprecedented pressure and strain of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a Maine native, it means a great deal to me that my family and friends can depend on excellence from so many Maine hospitals. I personally congratulate the board, staff and clinicians whose efforts made this honor possible.”

To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must rank top among peers on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest standards for quality and patient safety, and achieve top performance in their category. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2020 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals