Lake Wales AdventHealth Hospital Earns "A" Grade for Patient Safety

Courtesy AdventHealth

Most of the doctors, nurses, and other staff of Lake Wales AdventHealth Medical Center gathered to celebrate their achievement of an "A" safety rating.

AdventHealth Lake Wales has been awarded an "A" Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of excellence in patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

The Leapfrog Group assigns an "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F" grade to general hospitals nationwide based on over 30 performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.

"It's a tremendous honor to receive this "A" grade. It's a testament to the exceptional work our team members are doing every day to keep our patients, visitors and each other safe," said AdventHealth Lake Wales CEO Royce Brown. "As health care providers, safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we are grateful for the trust our community has placed in our hospital as we work to deliver exceptional, whole-person care." 

Courtesy Leapfrom

A coveted A grada was awarded to AdventHealth Lake Wales for their recent performance in patient safety

AdventHealth Lake Wales currently employs about 470 employees, making it one of the area's most important economic engines. It is actively recruiting for a variety of positions. The hospital offers 118 patient beds and 14 Emergency Room beds.

"Over the past 18 months, AdventHealth Lake Wales has made many upgrades to the hospital including renovations to nursing units, the pharmacy, and the ER," said a spokesperson for the hospital. "We have recently added physicians for the cardiology and urology departments as well as general surgery. This is part of AdventHealth Lake Wales' ongoing efforts to make it so people don't have to leave the community to get the care they need."

"Achieving an 'A' Hospital Safety Grade reflects enormous dedication to patient safety," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "I extend my congratulations to AdventHealth Lake Wales, its leadership, clinicians, staff and volunteers for creating a culture where patients come first."

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable Medical errors, injuries and infections that can lead to harm or even death. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

Courtesy AdventHealth

AdventHealth Lake Wales Medical Center is located at 410 South 11th Street in Lake Wales.

Building staff has been an ongoing effort for AdventHealth since their acquisition of the hospital. At the start of 2024, employee turnover was 17.1%, but by the end of the year it was down to 12.4%. Some of the major initiatives that helped lower turnover include offering leadership development in each unit to help team members grow so they have an opportunity to advance in their careers, a representative reported.