WASHINGTON, D.C., March 15, 2022 – The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on health care safety and quality, will launch the Leapfrog Judie Burrows Education Institute and present the capstone Emerald Awards tomorrow evening at the Leapfrog Greenlight Gala. The Institute is named for Milwaukee native, Judie Burrows, subject of the award-winning HBO documentary Bleed Out, produced by the gala keynote speaker, Steve Burrows.
The Emerald Awards honor two individuals and one organization for extraordinary leadership in patient safety. Leah Binder, The Leapfrog Group president and CEO commended the winners:
Emerald Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Health Care System: AdventHealth (Orlando, Florida)
“AdventHealth hospitals consistently demonstrate role model performance and foster an exceptionally strong culture of safety and accountability across all hospitals.”
Emerald Award for Outstanding Achievement by a Health Care Leader: Gary Kaplan, MD (Seattle, Washington)
“Dr. Kaplan, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, has shown extraordinary leadership in patient safety and quality. In fact, one of the system’s hospitals, Virginia Mason Medical Center, remains one of the select hospitals receiving ‘Straight As’ since the start of the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade in 2012.”
Emerald Award for Lifetime Achievement: Cristie Upshaw Travis (Memphis, Tennessee)
“Cristie Upshaw Travis, CEO of the Memphis Business Group on Health, plays an indispensable role in advancing excellence and transparency in the U.S. health care system. We’re honored to award her with Leapfrog’s highest honor.”
The Leapfrog Judie Burrows Education Institute
As the education arm of Leapfrog, the Judie Burrows Education Institute will offer programming that advances patient safety and empowers people to make improvements in the health care system. This includes three key audiences: purchasers, health care providers and the general public. Funds raised at the gala will support both existing and new programming.
 The Leapfrog Greenlight Gala |
 Leapfrog President and CEO, Leah Binder |
 The Emerald Awards |
 Gary Kaplan, MD, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health |
 Terry Shaw, President and CEO of AdventHealth |
 Cristie Upshaw Travis, CEO of the Memphis Business Group on Health |
 Steve Burrows, Patient Safety Advocate and Director of HBO's Bleed Out |
 Former Leapfrog Board Chairs |
 Gala attendees |
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 for patient safety. 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. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.