MOULTRIE, Ga. — Highlighting its nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality, Colquitt Regional Medical Center was named a Top Rural Hospital by the Leapfrog Group for the second time.

Announced Monday, the Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive, according to a press release from Colquitt Regional. The Top Hospital designation is awarded by the Leapfrog Group, an independent hospital watchdog organization.

“Every department at Colquitt Regional played a valuable role in helping us earn this recognition. This is the second time in four years that we have been named a Top Hospital, and it’s because of our employees, doctors, and hospital trustees,” said Colquitt Regional CEO Jim Matney. “We have changed the culture at Colquitt Regional, and our patients expect that they will receive safe and exceptional care at our hospital. Our employees — from those at the bedside to the support departments for those at the bedside — have all adopted this culture. We are delivering safe and effective care with compassion. I just can’t emphasize enough how proud I am of our team.”

Nationwide, only 18 rural hospitals received this distinction, and Colquitt Regional was one of only two hospitals in the state of Georgia to be recognized.

“I continue to be impressed by the awards Colquitt Regional is receiving for its quality of care,” said Richard Bass, Colquitt Regional Board of Trustees chairman. “Many institutions lack transparency, but that is one of the core values respected by our leadership and medical staff. We want this community to know that you can and should feel safe when you are in our care. Having an outside watchdog group like Leapfrog analyze our data and health outcomes, and give us a stamp of approval, should mean a great deal to each of our patients and their families.”

Performance across many areas of hospital care is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors, the hospital said. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology.

“We are proud to recognize Colquitt Regional Medical Center as a 2017 Leapfrog Top Hospital. This demonstrates extraordinary dedication to patients and the local community. The entire staff and board deserve praise for putting quality first and achieving results,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog.

To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must submit a Leapfrog Hospital Survey. The selection of Top Hospitals 2017 is based on surveys from nearly 1,900 hospitals. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2017 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.

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 collects and transparently reports hospital 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. This year, Colquitt Regional Medical Center received its seventh “A” Safety Score.

Colquitt Regional Medical Center is a 151-bed capacity hospital that completed an extensive expansion and renovation in 2014. They recently welcomed an additional five hospitalist physicians, and construction is nearing completion for the new Edwards Cancer Center and Sterling Center Women’s Health facilities.