St. Joseph’s gets an ‘A’ in Leapfrog safety

St. Joseph’s Health Hospital has been awarded an ‘A’ in the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing the hospital’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. This is the fourth consecutive grading period in which St. Joseph’s received the watchdog group’s highest marks for safety.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The safety grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care. Workplace safety should always be a top priority for healthcare providers.

“St. Joseph’s Health has always been at the forefront of safety throughout our 150-year history — and this past year has been a perfect demonstration of that commitment with our innovations in air quality, decontamination, prevention measures and more,” said Leslie Paul Luke, president and CEO at St. Joseph’s Health. “As the only hospital in the region to consistently receive an ‘A’ safety grade, especially during the unimaginable challenges of a global pandemic, I am humbled by the hard work of all our colleagues every day to ensure this level of quality.”

“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for St. Joseph’s Health Hospital. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. health care system, we appreciate you putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it.”