Patient safety is our priority
Actively improving safety, together
At Northern Arizona Healthcare (NAH), our nationally recognized commitment to patient safety requires daily action, accountability and teamwork.
Listening to our patients matters. We are always reviewing feedback surveys to better understand what we are doing well and where we can improve. Delivering safe, high-quality, patient centered care also requires daily commitment from every person on every care team. From hospital specialists and surgeons to primary care providers in our clinics, our care teams are working together to ensure safety is always top of mind.
Read our Annual Quality and Safety Reports to see our culture of safety in action
Milestones and achievements
Together, we continue to achieve major milestones that reflect our commitment to quality care and patient safety.
- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) awarded Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) and Verde Valley Medical Center (VVMC) 4-star Hospital Ratings. CMS Hospital Star Ratings are among the nation’s most recognized measures of hospital quality and patient outcomes. They reflect performance in patient safety, patient experience, clinical outcomes and timely, effective care. Our rating of 4 stars means we are above the national average in quality of care and patient outcomes.
- The Leapfrog Group has recognized FMC and VVMC with consecutive “A” Hospital Safety Grades. Leapfrog is an independent national nonprofit watchdog that reviews hospital safety and shares its data with the public for free. It assigns grades twice per year based on evidence-based measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections, including the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them. The data is public and you can see our grades in more detail.
- NAH hospitals have regularly ranked No. 1 in Arizona for preventing hospital-acquired infections. This includes stopping infections that can happen from using everyday medical tools like tubes and IV lines. While these tools are common in patient care, our strict safety rules keep us the safest in the state for preventing these infections.
Our focus on safety and Just Culture
At NAH, we encourage all of our teams to share concerns about patient and workplace safety – we even host a monthly lunch just for colleagues to discuss ideas and suggestions for safety improvements. As part of this effort, we promote a Just Culture. This means we focus on learning, accountability and always getting better. By finding unsafe conditions, talking about mistakes openly, and strengthening care processes, we work to provide safer and more reliable care for our neighbors across northern Arizona.
To keep patient safety top of mind, NAH staff complete regular training all year long. This dedication to safe, high-quality, patient centered care is backed by our official accreditation from The Joint Commission. We also regularly review safety data across our clinics and hospitals to ensure our patients receive the best care possible. This data is fully public and available online.
Learn more about patient rights and policies.