Improving patient safety scores isn’t just about meeting benchmarks—it’s about transforming culture, aligning teams, and turning insights into sustained action. For many health systems, that kind of transformation can feel slow and complex.
Stormont Vail Health proves it doesn’t have to be.
Through a strategic program offering available through Mayo Clinic Platform, the Kansas-based system implemented changes, transformed its culture, and achieved its first “A” safety grade from The Leapfrog Group since 2022.
What made the difference? A combination of data-driven strategy, leadership alignment, and the strategic collaboration that accelerated local execution.
A focused, collaborative approach
By engaging with Mayo Clinic Platform experts through their Mayo Clinic Care Network membership, leaders at Stormont Vail made a deliberate effort to:
- Align initiatives with nationally recognized safety standards
- Strengthen incident reporting and transparency
- Invest in behavior-based training across teams
- Reinforce accountability at every level of the organization
“A big part of our ‘A’ grade came from improvements in objective data like hospital-acquired infections and patient safety indicators,” said Chad Yeager, Vice President of Quality and Population Health. “Many of the changes we made align directly with Leapfrog standards and best practices.”
Even high-performing organizations benefit from an external perspective—especially when tackling complex challenges like safety culture transformation.
From engagement to execution
Following a focused onsite engagement with Mayo Clinic safety experts, Stormont Vail implemented several high-impact changes:
- A simplified incident reporting platform to encourage transparency
- Executive-led rounding to strengthen frontline engagement
- Creative training approaches—including immersive, team-based experiences
- A phased rollout plan shaped by staff feedback
These efforts led to increased reporting, stronger leadership visibility, and more consistent safety behaviors across the organization.
Just as importantly, safety became embedded in daily practice—not just policy.
Sustaining momentum over time
Transformation doesn’t end with implementation. Stormont Vail maintained progress through ongoing collaboration, including:
- Ongoing engagement on just culture and policy refinement
- Access to specialized safety expertise
- Regular strategic touchpoints to evaluate progress
This sustained approach ensured that early gains translated into long-term improvement.
“The Mayo Clinic team’s support helped refine our approach to safety and strengthened our initiatives,” Yaeger said. “I’d encourage organizations everywhere to leverage this relationship, validate and expand your plans with experts, and don’t shy away from creatives approaches to engage your teams.”
Accelerate your safety transformation
Mayo Clinic Platform enables health systems to collaborate, access expertise, and implement data-driven solutions that improve safety, quality, and operational performance.
Whether you're looking to improve Leapfrog scores, reduce harm events, or strengthen your safety culture, the right collaboration can help you move faster—with confidence.
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