ROGERS, Arkansas — The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety with the goal of helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
The group released its Fall 2020 patient safety grades on Monday (Dec. 14) and announced that Mercy Hospital Fort Smith and Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers each earned an "A" grade, demonstrating a continued commitment to patient safety.
Mercy’s Arkansas locations are the only hospitals in Arkansas to receive A's in the current report. The full list of grades can be seen here.
Eric Pianalto, president of Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, said he hopes co-workers get a lift from hearing their hard work in the face of adversity has led to another A grade from Leapfrog.
“This recognition comes at a great time because it’s a reminder that even while we face great challenges, our focus is safety,” he said. “This award reflects the sacrifices and commitment of all Mercy co-workers, from our physicians to our environmental services team. I’m very proud of their tireless work in serving our community.”
Mercy Hospital Fort Smith received its ninth A in a row, while Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas received its seventh A in the last eight rating periods.
“We are proud of our co-workers for helping us achieve this award for the ninth straight time,” said Ryan Gehrig, Mercy Hospital Fort Smith president. “Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, our co-workers have made patient safety a priority, and we can't thank them enough for their dedication to quality care here at Mercy. This national award is evidence of that dedication."
Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog assessment uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year.
Last week, the Leapfrog Group named Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas to its Top Hospitals list in the category of small teaching hospitals. Only 105 of 2,200 hospitals nationwide achieved Top Hospital status.
To see full grade details for each Mercy hospital, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.