Rogers-Lowell Area News

Mercy Hospitals Earn "A" Grades for Patient Safety Practices

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith and Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas in Rogers were two of nine Mercy hospitals and only 877 in the country that received A grades in The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2019 Hospital Safety Grade.

The national nonprofit patient safety advocate group assesses hospitals nationwide based on the outcomes of their efforts to prevent medical errors, infections and other patient harm, and gives traditional letter grades that reflect their ability to keep their patients safe. In addition to its nine A grades, three Mercy hospitals earned B ratings, demonstrating a consistent commitment to quality and safety across the board.

“I commend Mercy for having so many hospitals with A’s ? and no hospital below a B ? in the latest update to the Hospital Safety Grades,” said Leah Binder, Leapfrog president and CEO. “That’s exceptional performance for a health system. We congratulate the board, leadership, volunteers, clinicians and staff who put their patients first.”

In addition to the Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas hospitals, Mercy’s hospitals in the following communities received A grades: Jefferson County, Joplin, Lebanon, St. Louis and Washington in Missouri; and Ardmore and Oklahoma City in Oklahoma.

These grades come on the heels of Mercy having been named a top five large U.S. health system for 2019, and Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, Mercy Hospital St. Louis and Mercy Hospital Oklahoma City earning top 100 hospital recognition from IBM Watson Health.

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, Leapfrog uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice per year. The methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

Mercy Hospital Fort Smith President Ryan Gehrig said he’s proud of the hospital’s A grades going back to 2016.

“The Mercy Hospital team continues to demonstrate an ability to improve performance and achieve excellence across multiple departments. I’m blessed to work alongside so many dedicated and caring people who have a passion to get health care right,” he said.

Likewise, Mercy Hospital President Eric Pianalto said it takes a special team to achieve high safety grades year after year.

“Patient safety has always been a priority for Mercy caregivers and this latest acknowledgement confirms our team is meeting our mission of exceptional service and compassionate care in the spirit of the Sisters of Mercy,” Pianalto said.

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