TAPPAHANNOCK, Va. (May 1, 2025) – VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital has once again earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for Spring 2025, marking another milestone in the hospital’s ongoing commitment to patient safety and high quality care. This top rating highlights the hospital’s dedication to protecting patients from preventable harm and reinforces its role as a trusted healthcare provider for the Tappahannock and Northern Neck communities.
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national nonprofit organization that assigns safety grades to general hospitals across the country, evaluating performance on over 30 measures of patient safety. Grades are released every spring and fall and focus exclusively on how well hospitals prevent medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.
“Safe, high quality care is the foundation of our mission,” said Liz Martin, president of VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital. “Our team continues to deliver nationally recognized care close to home, and this grade affirms the strength of our culture of safety and commitment to continuous improvement. Being part of the broader VCU Health system enables us to apply best practices and innovations systemwide to benefit every patient we serve.”
Hospitals that achieve an ‘A’ demonstrate excellence in 22 evidence-based measures of safety and quality, which have been shown to reduce complications, shorten hospital stays, and improve outcomes. For the past year, VCU Medical Center in Richmond has also achieved the highest grade for safe and effective care practices.
VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital continues to strengthen its culture of safety, which supports team members in their comfort in both speaking up and accepting a questioning attitude, also contributes to safety in a very complex service delivery system.
“Our team takes great pride in this recognition,” said Dr. Robert Culley, emergency physician and Chief Medical Officer at VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital. “Safety isn’t just a protocol; it’s a mindset. Every employee, from clinical staff to support services, plays an essential role in keeping our patients safe. We remain focused on collaboration, transparency, and learning so we can continue to raise the bar.”
VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital’s targeted initiatives across critical areas, including stroke care, communication, infection prevention, and antibiotic stewardship, contributed to its high safety grade by the Leapfrog Group. The hospital has significantly improved stroke response times by streamlining protocols, enhancing coordination with EMS, and reinforcing education and feedback through a newly established stroke coordinator role, resulting in a median “door to CT results” time of just 35 minutes as of December 2024.
Effective communication practices, such as standardized bedside handoffs, further reduce error potential during patient transitions. To combat blood culture contamination, the hospital implemented the Steripath diversion device, cutting contamination rates by up to 39% and saving over $4,000 in avoidable costs. Additionally, responsible antibiotic management strategies have reduced unnecessary antibiotic exposure, helping to protect both patient safety and long-term treatment efficacy.
The methodology for the Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, transparent and publicly available. To view VCU Health Tappahannock Hospital’s full results and access tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
