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JOPLIN, Mo. (Nov. 6, 2023) – Mercy hospitals in nine communities across Arkansas, Missouri and Oklahoma received A grades in The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2023 Hospital Safety Grade. These locations are among only 30% of hospitals across the country to earn the highest possible grade from the national nonprofit patient safety advocate group.
Leapfrog assigns letter grades to hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, and the processes in place to prevent harm.
In Arkansas, Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas and Mercy Hospital Fort Smith received A grades; Mercy’s Missouri hospitals with A grades include Mercy Hospital Joplin, Mercy Hospital South, Mercy Hospital Springfield, Mercy Hospital St. Louis and Mercy Hospital Washington. In Oklahoma, Mercy Hospital Ada and Mercy Hospital Ardmore earned A grades.
“We know our co-workers do excellent work on a day-to-day basis, so to have their efforts validated by this national organization is a great feeling,” said Donna O’Keefe, executive director of quality and patient safety. “This is our 17th A grade in the past 18 Leapfrog evaluations, so we’re very proud of the dedication our co-workers have to providing safe, high-quality care to their patients every time.”
Statewide, Mercy’s A grades represent a large portion of the total A grades received by all hospitals. In Arkansas, Mercy’s two A grades were among only six earned throughout the state. Missouri has a total of 13 A grades, five of which are Mercy hospitals.
Oklahoma’s Mercy hospitals were two of the eight to receive A grades.
“Earning an A grade means Mercy made a true commitment to put patients first,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the leadership, board, clinicians, staff and volunteers who all had a role to play in this achievement.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program exclusively based on hospital prevention of medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually in the fall and spring.
To see Mercy’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook.
About Mercy
Mercy, one of the 20 largest U.S. health systems and named the top large system in the U.S. for excellent patient experience by NRC Health, serves millions annually with nationally recognized quality care and one of the nation’s largest Accountable Care Organizations. Mercy is a highly integrated, multi-state health care system including more than 40 acute care, managed and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has 900 physician practices and outpatient facilities, more than 4,000 physicians and advanced practitioners and more than 45,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
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 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.
