For the second time since 2011, LincolnHealth Miles Campus in Damariscotta has been named one of the top rural hospitals in the United States for quality and patient safety by the Leapfrog Group. The award came at a special awards ceremony on December 3.

The “Top Hospital” designation is the most competitive national hospital quality award in the country. It recognizes hospitals that deliver the highest quality care by preventing medical errors, reducing mortality for high-risk procedures and reducing hospital readmissions for patients being treated for conditions like pneumonia and heart attack.

LincolnHealth was one of 22 rural hospitals nationally to be honored this year, and one of nine hospitals in Maine.

“This award, and what it represents, is extremely important to our organization,” said Lincoln County Healthcare Senior V.P. Cindy Wade. “Leapfrog guidelines force us to continuously focus on the safety and quality of our care. Because quality and patient safety standards are always changing, we’re constantly reevaluating our procedures and systems to make sure we’re providing the safest and best care for our patients,” she said.

In addition to the rural hospitals, 55 urban hospitals and 13 children’s hospitals were recognized with the award. “The field of hospitals considered for this year’s elite distinction was more competitive than ever, proving that more hospitals across the country are making quality their top priority,” said Leah Binder, President & CEO of Leapfrog. “The larger group of rural hospitals represented, including several critical access hospitals, shows us that any hospital in America can achieve the highest standards of quality and safety, and any community, no matter how small, can benefit from top-notch healthcare.”

The 2013 Top Hospitals list was closely culled from a record number of 1,324 hospitals voluntarily participating in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. While several agencies and organizations collect and publicize hospital quality data, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey sets the highest bar for comparing hospitals’ performance on the national standards of safety, quality and efficiency that are most relevant to consumers and purchasers of care. Top Hospitals have lower infection rates, higher survival rates for high-risk procedures, decreased length of stay and fewer readmissions.

“We’re very excited to once again receive national and statewide attention with this award,” commented Lincoln County Healthcare CEO Jim Donovan. “To be a LeapFrog Top Hospital, every level of the organization must focus on quality and patient safety standards, and all of our clinical staff and employees must work as a team to meet them.

“This award represents an enormous effort, and with all the changes and challenges that went into creating LincolnHealth, I’m especially proud of our clinical staff who were able to continue meeting all the Leapfrog guidelines and requirements. We’ve worked very hard to reduced our prices and be more affordable, but our future also depends on a solid foundation of patient safety and quality of care,” he said.