ROCKPORT — Pen Bay Medical Center, 6 Glen Cove Drive, in Rockport received top honors from the Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C.-based organization that tracks health care safety, quality and value and uses that information to name the best hospitals in the country each year. The award was presented to Pen Bay staff on Dec. 4 in Baltimore, Maryland.  

Two hospitals in Maine were named to the top urban hospital list Tuesday: Pen Bay and Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. The two also received grades of "A" in Leapfrog's new ratings of hospital safety efforts, a requirement before a hospital can be considered for a top urban hospital.

The A, B, C, D or F scores are assigned to U.S. hospitals and are based on preventable medical errors, injuries, accidents and infections.  For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score identifies “D” and “F” hospitals that represent hazardous environments for patients in need of care. The Hospital Safety Score was compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety, and administered by the Leapfrog Group, an independent, national nonprofit organization.

The five rural Maine hospitals recognized for 2012 include Calais Regional Hospital, Inland Hospital in Waterville, Mount Desert Island Hospital Organization, Rumford Hospital and Sebasticook Valley Health.

Maine is the only state to have more than one rural hospital on the list. The other hospitals are in Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Tennessee.

To make the list, a hospital must have completed a Leapfrog survey and must have received high scores in safety, quality and use of resources. Pen Bay Medical Center was selected as a Top Hospital from approximately 1,200 hospitals nationwide.

“To be selected as a top hospital in the nation is truly an exceptional honor," said Pen Bay Healthcare president and CEO Wade Johnson. "I am proud of Pen Bay Medical Center and pleased that our commitment to our community to provide excellent patient care has been rewarded with national recognition. This is an important milestone in our journey toward Excellence Always. I am also very proud of Pen Bay Medical Center for maintaining an A score in patient safety. This grade is a reflection of our dedication to patient-centered care and represents the hard work of the entire health system to continually meet the highest safety standards.”

From Leapfrog’s website: “One of the most significant problems with today’s healthcare system is the failure to make safety and quality information available to the public so that you can make informed choices about where you receive care. The purpose of the Hospital Safety Score is to bring this information to light in a way that is easy for you – the consumer – to use. Leapfrog advocates for public access to quality and safety data from ALL U.S. hospitals, and we welcome you to contact your legislators to demand more information to keep your families safe.”