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Quick Facts:
Northwest AR,
Fort Smith
Mercy Hospital Fort Smith and Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas each earned an A grade for spring 2024 from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog for patient safety. Leapfrog assigns letter grades to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.
In addition to their A grades for spring 2024, Mercy’s Arkansas hospitals are designated as “Straight A” hospitals, meaning they have earned at least five A grades in a row. This marks the 16th straight A for Mercy Fort Smith and the 10th consecutive A for Mercy NWA.
Nationwide, only 29% of hospitals achieved an A grade from Leapfrog this spring. In Arkansas, Mercy Fort Smith and Mercy NWA are two of only six hospitals to achieve an A.
“Our ‘Straight A’ status demonstrates that Mercy’s commitment to patient safety is second to none," said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Arkansas Communities. “Our communities trust us to provide safe, high-quality care, and it’s an honor for us to fulfill those obligations time and again. We are grateful that our co-workers have made this possible.”
“Everyone who works at Mercy in Arkansas should be proud of these A hospital safety grades,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes complete dedication at every level and an ironclad commitment to putting patients first. I thank Mercy, its leadership, clinicians, staff and volunteers for caring so deeply for its patients and their safety.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog 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.
