(Joplin, MO) – Safety is always a top priority in health care, though never more so than in 2020. Despite the unprecedented challenges, Mercy Hospital Joplin earned an A grade from The Leapfrog Group — continuing a streak of straight A’s since 2015 — demonstrating a continued commitment to patient safety.
Courageous frontline workers across the country have responded to the novel coronavirus, working to keep their patients and communities safe. Leapfrog’s Safety Grade assesses hospitals nationwide based on 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. Mercy Joplin was among only approximately one-third of the 2,600 hospitals graded to receive an A.
“The safety of our patients is always our top priority, but it’s even more important in the midst of a global pandemic, particularly one caused by a novel virus that we have spent nine months learning new things about virtually every day,” said Jeremy Drinkwitz, president of Mercy Hospital Joplin. “Our co-workers take pride in providing the safest care they possibly can, and this honor from Leapfrog — and our straight A’s since 2015 — is both proof of and a testament to that. Thank you to all of the dedicated co-workers who made this award possible.”
Dr. Keith Starke, Mercy’s senior vice president and chief clinical officer, complimented the Mercy co-workers who made the Leapfrog honor possible.
“Our co-workers have faced hardships of truly historic proportions this year,” Dr. Starke said. “We could not be more proud of the way they have handled this unprecedented pandemic with a continued focus on safety. These safety grades from Leapfrog are a direct reflection of our co-workers’ commitment and dedication to excellence and providing the highest quality care possible.”
Mercy’s hospitals in the following communities received A grades: Fort Smith in Northwest Arkansas; Joplin, St. Louis, and Washington in Missouri; and Ada and Oklahoma City in Oklahoma.
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.
To see Mercy’s full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.
About Mercy:
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems from 2016 to 2019 by IBM Watson Health, serves millions annually. Mercy includes more than 40 acute care, managed and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, 900 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 45,000 co-workers and 2,400 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. In addition, Mercy’s IT division, Mercy Technology Services, and Mercy Virtual commercially serve providers and patients from coast to coast.
About The Leapfrog Group:
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. 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.
Reference:
Jordan Larimore, Senior Media Relations & Communications
Mercy Hospital Joplin
409.550.2928
jordan.larimore@mercy.net
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