The latest Hospital Safety Score has given Overlake Medical Center an “A” – the top grade in patient safety. Overlake is one of 16 hospitals in Washington state to receive the Hospital Safety Score’s top grade.

The score is compiled under the guidance of experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog. The score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

“Making Overlake Medical Center the safest place for our patients is our highest concern,” said Overlake Medical Center President and CEO J. Michael Marsh. “Consistently achieving Leapfrog’s “A” ranking and receiving Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award six years in a row are testaments to our consistent focus on top quality and high value care for the Eastside.”

The Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in spring 2014, with about 32 percent receiving an “A” grade.

To see how Overlake Medical Center’s score compares locally and nationally, and to access safety tips for patients and their loved ones, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. Consumers can also go to www.hospitalsafetyscore.org for a free download of the Hospital Safety Score app.