Mercy Arkansas Hospitals Earn A Grades for Patient Safety from Leapfrog Group

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith and Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas have earned A grades for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog. They were among two of only eight in the state to earn this distinction for fall 2025.

“At the heart of our healing mission is serving with excellence,” said Ryan Gehrig, Mercy Arkansas Communities president. “Each time we are entrusted with a patient’s care their safety is our highest priority. We’re proud of our caregivers for their dedication to maintaining this consistent level of excellent care.” 

Leapfrog rates hospitals on an A-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.  

Eight other Mercy hospitals have earned the highest rating, including Ada, Ardmore and Oklahoma City in Oklahoma; Jefferson, Lebanon, Springfield and Washington in Missouri; and Pittsburg, Kansas. In addition to its 10 A grades, six Mercy hospitals have earned Leapfrog’s Straight-A designation, demonstrating a consistent commitment, along with 356 other hospitals nationwide, to quality and safety across the board. To be recognized for Straight As, a hospital must get an A rating five consecutive times in Leapfrog’s twice-annual Hospital Safety Grade assessments. 

Mercy Arkansas hospitals both achieved Straight-A designations. Mercy’s other Straight-A hospitals are in Ada, Oklahoma; Pittsburg, Kansas; and Springfield and Washington, Missouri. It is Fort Smith’s 19th Straight A and Northwest Arkansas’ 13^th. 

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, injuries and infections that can lead to harm or even death. The grading system 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. 

“My sincere congratulations to Mercy Fort Smith and Mercy Northwest Arkansas for upholding patient safety standards through thick and thin, achieving an A hospital safety grade,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Consistently earning an A demonstrates a long-term, organization-wide commitment to putting patient safety first.” 

The Leapfrog Group, founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. 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.