Mercy Regional Medical Center was recently honored with an “A” grade in the fall Hospital Safety Score, which rates how well hospitals protect patients from errors, injuries and infections.

The Hospital Safety Score is compiled under the guidance of experts on patient safety and is administered by The Leapfrog Group (Leapfrog), an independent industry watchdog. The hospital safety rating is peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety. The Score is free to the public and designed to give consumers information they can use to protect themselves and their families when facing a hospital stay.

“Mercy’s staff and providers are guided by evidence-based practices and strive to provide highest quality care to every patient, every day,” said Mercy CEO Tom Gessel.

“Receiving our sixth consecutive A grade shows that our collective efforts are paying off, to the benefit of those we serve,” he said.

Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Scores are given in the spring and fall of each year, and Mercy has received an A in every period in which it has been rated.

“Mercy Regional Medical Center’s A grade is a powerful reminder of its commitment to putting patient safety above all else, and we are pleased to recognize the persistent efforts of the clinicians and staff to protect their patients,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm. More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in October 2015, with 773 hospitals receiving an A grade.

To see how Mercy’s score compares locally and nationally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.