(Joplin, MO) — Out of more than 2,000 hospitals surveyed, Mercy Hospital Joplin was among fewer than 150 to be named a Top Hospital by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization.
Mercy was the only area hospital to receive the award, and along with other Mercy Hospitals, Jefferson, South, and St. Louis were the only four to be named a Top Hospital in the state.
“During the past two years, it would have been easy to let some of our standards slide because of the demands of a pandemic on our community,” said Jeremy Drinkwitz, president of Mercy Hospital Joplin. “But even under the unrelenting pressure of COVID and all its twists and turns, our co-workers consistently provided exceptional care to our patients. They were resilient in the toughest of times, and because of their commitment and grit, we were recognized as one of the nation’s top hospitals. This honor is evidence of the commitment our co-workers have to their profession, to each other and to our patients to provide the best care possible, even as the entire world faces a pandemic.”
The Leapfrog Group evaluates hospitals across the country based on more than 30 performance measures, including errors, injuries, accidents and infections, and the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm to their patients.
Out of more than 2,200 hospitals considered for the designation — including children’s, teaching, rural and general hospitals — only 149 earned the Top Hospital nod.
The Top Hospital honor comes on the heels of Mercy Joplin earning an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group for patient safety in its Fall 2021 grades.
“We are pleased to recognize Mercy Hospital Joplin as a Top Hospital this year,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Even with the continued strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mercy has demonstrated an extraordinary dedication to excellent health care in the Joplin community. We congratulate the board, leadership, staff and clinicians who put their patients first.”
To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must rank highest among peers on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on standards for quality and patient safety. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2021 Top Hospitals, visit leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.
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 and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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.
About Mercy
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems for four consecutive years by IBM Watson Health, serves millions annually. Mercy is one of the nation’s most highly integrated, multi-state health care systems, including more than 40 acute care, managed and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, convenient and urgent care locations, imaging centers and pharmacies. Mercy has 900 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 2,400 Mercy Clinic physicians and more than 40,000 co-workers serving patients and families across Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. Mercy also has clinics, outpatient services and outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
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