Baptist Health hospitals receive ‘A’ in Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades 2019

Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, Baptist Medical Center Nassau and Baptist Medical Center Beaches received an “A” for patient safety, the highest grade, in the spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. The designation recognizes Baptist Health’s efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards.

“It’s an honor for three Baptist Health hospitals to be among only 832 in the nation to receive the highest grade,” said Hugh Greene, president and chief executive officer of Baptist Health. “The ‘A’ is a testament to Baptist Health’s deep commitment to providing the highest quality service and care for our patients in the Jacksonville community.”

The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C.-based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers, released the new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades today. Only 32% of graded hospitals in the nation were awarded an “A” for their commitment to health care quality and safety.

“Our health care teams are dedicated to following strict safety and quality protocols at every step throughout the patient’s journey,” said David Rice, MD, senior vice president and chief quality officer of Baptist Health. “We emphasize and cultivate a culture of safety every single day.”

The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care. Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent to the public.

“To be recognized nationally as an ‘A’ hospital is an accomplishment the whole community should take pride in,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an ‘A’ grade are making it a priority to protect patients from preventable medical harm and error. We congratulate hospital leaders, board members, staff, volunteers and clinicians who work so hard to earn this A.”

Wolfson Children’s Hospital of Jacksonville was named one of only 13 Top Children’s Hospitals by The Leapfrog Group in December 2018.

In addition to the Leapfrog grade, the National Research Corporation has named Baptist Health the “Most Preferred Healthcare Provider” every year since 1990. All five hospitals have also earned the Magnet™ Designation, the highest honor for excellence in patient care.

To see Baptist Health’s full Leapfrog grade or to learn more, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.