UP Health System – Portage received an “A” grade in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing UP Health System – Portage’s achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. This is the sixth straight “A” rating in patient care and safety for UPHS – Portage. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.

“Achieving an A rating through Leapfrog for multiple consecutive review periods demonstrates the systems, processes and employees of UP Health System Portage Hospital, have built a sustainable model of care.” said Ed Freysinger, CEO of UPHS-Portage – ”Through these systems and our employees, we have created an environment focused on continuous improvement and growth. I am proud of the work our employees, physicians and volunteers provide our patients, visitors and the community, they are the heart of the service we provide.”

Achieving an A rating through Leapfrog for multiple consecutive review periods demonstrates the systems, processes and employees of UP Health System Portage Hospital, have built a sustainable model of care. Through these systems and our employees, we have created an environment focused on continuous improvement and growth. I am proud of the work our employees, physicians and volunteers provide our patients, visitors and the community, they are the heart of the service we provide.

Ed Freysinger, CEO of UPHS-Portage
“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but UP Health System – Portage shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.”

Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

UP Health System – Portage was awarded an “A” grade on Thursday, April 29, when Leapfrog updated grades for spring 2021. To see UP Health System – Portage grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

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About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

About UP Health System – Portage

UP Health System – Portage has been serving Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula since 1896. It supports a multi-specialty medical community with over 40 physicians and more than a dozen allied health professionals. The main campus features a 36-bed hospital, accredited as a chest pain center by the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care (SCPC). UP Health System – Portage was the first in the state to achieve Level III ACC (American College of Cardiology) verification as a trauma center.

Additional services include dedicated physician hospitalists, cardiopulmonary services, elective and emergency orthopedics, women’s health, general surgery, hematology and oncology, internal medicine, sports medicine and rehabilitation and sports medicine, x-ray and diagnostics (including MRI, mobile PET scan, 64-slice CT scanner, nuclear imaging, and 3D mammography), an advanced wound care center, a sleep lab, two Express Care walk-in clinics, a regional dialysis unit, pharmacy services, laboratory services, home care, and a 60-bed senior living community.