Stanford, Calif. -- Stanford Hospital and Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare were named among the nation's safest hospitals today by The Leapfrog Group, a national non-profit that evaluates hospitals on their quality and safety measures. Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto and Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare in Pleasanton earned "A" grades for hospital safety after Leapfrog's evaluation of more than 2,500 hospitals nationwide.

"We are pleased to receive this important rating in patient safety from the Leapfrog Group,"said Raj Behal, MD, MPH, Chief Quality Officer of Stanford Health Care. "Our entire team—from doctors to nurses to staff—contributed to this safety rating, and we are humbled that our continuing efforts to deliver world class health care for our patients have been recognized."

The Hospital Safety Score measures a hospital's overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors. This data can help patients and their families make informed decisions about their health care. Compiled under the guidance of the nation’s leading experts on patient safety, the Hospital Safety Score is based on an analysis of 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data, including rates of infections, injuries and errors. Scores are released twice annually and recognize those hospitals making patient safety and the public reporting of quality and outcomes measures a priority.

"We are honored to have our hard work to provide best-in-class patient care recognized," said Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare president Scott Gregerson. "We strive to set a benchmark for consistently delivering quality health care, and this safety score reflects the high level of care our staff deliver to patients every day."

It is one of the many rankings, ratings and scorecards in which Stanford Health Care participates to measure quality in patient care and patient satisfaction. For more details on the methodology used in determining grades and to see Stanford Hospital and Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare’s scores, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

About Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare

ValleyCare Health System has provided high quality, not-for-profit health care to the Tri-Valley and surrounding communities since 1961. In 2015, ValleyCare and Stanford Health Care partnered to become Stanford Health Care – ValleyCare. Through highly skilled physicians, nurses and staff, and state-of-the art technology, Stanford Health Care - ValleyCare offers a wide range of health care services at its Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin medical facilities. Visit www.valleycare.com.