FONTANA, CA. December 6, 2011 — The Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center has once again been named a “Top Hospital” by the Leapfrog Group, a national organization that seeks to promote improvements in health care safety, quality and affordability. Only 65 hospitals from a field of nearly 1,200 achieved this honor nationwide.

“This honor truly demonstrates the superior care we provide to our members in San Bernardino County,” said Greg Christian, Executive Director, Kaiser Foundation Hospitals/Health Plan, Fontana and Ontario. “Our designation as a Top Hospital is a remarkable achievement of the physicians, nurses and other caregivers here at the Fontana Medical Center.”

To make the Top Hospital list, medical centers participated in the 2011 Leapfrog Hospital Survey which focused on four critical areas of patient safety. Every hospital designated Top Hospital demonstrated effective use of computerized physician orders for medications, met tough standards for nursing and physician staffing, successfully performed high-risk surgeries and procedures, and demonstrated efficient use of health care resources while maintaining high quality outcomes. In addition, hospitals are measured on their progress in preventing infections and other hospital-acquired conditions and adopting policies on the handling of serious medical errors. KP HealthConnect, Kaiser Permanente’s electronic medical record system, also played a vital role in meeting the Leapfrog Group safety standards.

“Our inclusion in this elite group of hospitals is a testament to our commitment to patient safety and quality,” said Dr. David Quam, Area Medical Director and Chief of Staff. “Our physicians, nurses, staff and patients working together, coupled with our outstanding technology and facilities, is truly what makes this possible. I am exceedingly proud of our entire team.”

The Fontana Medical Center is among eight Kaiser Permanente facilities in Southern California and 18 statewide that have received this recognition.

Kaiser Permanente’s Top Hospitals in Southern California are Fontana, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego, Panorama City, South Bay, West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills. In Northern California, Antioch, Oakland, Richmond, Roseville, San Francisco, San Jose, South Sacramento, South San Francisco, Vacaville and Walnut Creek made the list.

The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health benefits founded a decade ago to work for improvements in health care safety, quality, and affordability. To view the complete list of the 2011 Leapfrog Top Hospitals go to www.leapfroggroup.org.