Mercy Hospital Jefferson Recognized with Top Patient Safety Grade

Mercy Hospital Jefferson earned the highest rating, a grade A, for its commitment to patient safety from the Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog. This is the second consecutive A grade for Mercy Jefferson and its 14th A in the last 17 grading periods.

Leapfrog rates hospitals on an A to F grading scale after reviewing more than 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them. Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers estimate that more than 50,000 lives could be saved if all hospitals operated as well as an A hospital.

“Our caregivers are focused on providing patients with safe, compassionate care. They are the ones who truly earn this award,” said Dan Eckenfels, president of Mercy Jefferson Communities. “Regularly earning this national recognition shows how dedicated we are to providing safe health care. We can provide this level of care here in Jefferson County, letting our patients stay here, closer to home while receiving high quality care.”

Grades are updated twice each year, in the spring and fall. The A grade for Mercy Jefferson places it among the top 32% of hospitals nationwide.

“Achieving an A Hospital Safety Grade reflects enormous dedication to patient safety,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I extend my congratulations to Mercy, its leadership, clinicians, staff and volunteers for creating a culture where patients come first.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade stands as the only hospital ratings program focused solely on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day in the United States. This program prides itself for being peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. To learn more about these grades, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.