The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C-based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers, today released the new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. The Safety Grade is a letter grade of A, B, C, D and F that Leapfrog assigns to hospitals nationwide based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms to patients in their care. 

Mercy Health’s five area hospitals – Anderson Hospital, Clermont Hospital, Fairfield Hospital, West Hospital and The Jewish Hospital - were among the 750 hospitals nationwide receiving an A grade for their commitment to keeping patients safe and meeting the highest safety standards in the U.S. Each of Mercy Health’s five Cincinnati-area hospitals also received A grades in fall 2017 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.

“It is my pleasure to once again congratulate each and every nurse, physician and staff member working in our hospitals on earning the best possible safety grade,” said Mike Garfield, Mercy Health – Cincinnati CEO and Senior Vice President. “We strive to always provide the highest quality care and earning straight As is the tangible result of the excellent work you do on behalf our patients and their loved ones.”

“This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections, and injuries,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Receiving an A Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day.”

Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

To see the full grade for Mercy Health – Cincinnati’s hospitals and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.