Mercy Hospitals in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas have been named “Straight A” facilities in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade report for keeping patients safe.Mercy Hospitals in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas are two of only eight hospitals throughout Arkansas to earn an A grade from Leapfrog in its list of fall 2022 grades. In Fort Smith, Mercy was the only hospital to receive an A grade in the most recent assessment, while in Northwest Arkansas, Mercy was one of four. This marks the 13th straight A for Mercy Fort Smith and the seventh for Mercy NWA.In addition, Mercy Hospitals Arkansas were named among best hospitals for billing ethics from the Leapfrog Group and Money magazine, two of only four hospitals in the state to achieve this recognition."Providing exceptional patient care in our communities is Mercy's top priority, and our record for patient safety demonstrates this," said Ryan Gehrig, president of Mercy Hospitals Arkansas. "Our hospitals in Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas have achieved 'straight A' status yet again, and all credit goes to our amazing co-workers for making this happen. Their commitment to service is second to none throughout Arkansas."The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public at HospitalSafetyGrade.org. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns letter grades to hospitals across the country based on more than 30 performance measures, including errors, injuries, accidents, infections and the protocols hospitals have in place to prevent harm to patients.“I applaud the hospital leadership and workforce for their strong commitment to safety and transparency,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An A safety grade is a sign that hospitals are continuously evaluating their performance, so that they can best protect patients. Your hospital team should be extremely proud of their dedication and achievement.”The A grade from The Leapfrog Group is in addition to other recent recognitions of safety and quality at Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas, including its current five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Mercy’s hospital in Rogers ranks the highest of any hospitals in Northwest Arkansas. Mercy Hospital Fort Smith received a three-star rating from CMS, the highest of any hospital in the Arkansas River Valley.
In July, Mercy Hospital NWA announced a $500 million health care expansion in Northwest Arkansas, which will include a state-of-the-art cancer center, emergency department and isolation room expansion and additional clinic locations while nearly doubling its current number of primary care physicians and specialists. A $162 million expansion of the emergency room and intensive care unit at Mercy Hospital Fort Smith is currently underway, with that project expected to be completed in late 2024.To see Mercy Hospitals Arkansas’ 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.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up