Mercy Gets Top Marks for Patient Safety

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.—The Leapfrog Group has released its latest grades for hospitals across the nation. Mercy Hospital Springfield, Mercy Hospital Lebanon, Mercy Hospital St. Louis, Mercy Hospital Washington and Mercy Hospital Independence were all awarded “A” grades based on preventable medical errors, accidents and infections. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits.

“This latest honor is the result of the excellent work each Mercy co-worker invests in our ministry each day,” said Jon Swope, president and CEO of Mercy Springfield Communities. “We will not rest as we strive to bring even better care to our patients in the future.”

The Leapfrog grade follows several accolades that show Mercy is honoring its commitment to getting health care right.

A top consumer publication recently listed Mercy Hospital Springfield as sixth in the nation when it comes to safety. Mercy Hospital Springfield ranked number 1 on the IMS Top 100 Integrated Healthcare Network list. Healthgrades has given Mercy Hospital Springfield eight 5-Star Ratings and four Clinical Excellence Awards, as well as an Outstanding Patient Experience Award. The latest Medicare national data shows Mercy Hospital Springfield has the lowest readmission rate for the state of Missouri. It means patients aren’t coming back to the hospital with complications. For the ninth year in a row, the National Research Corporation awarded Mercy Hospital Springfield with the Consumer Choice Award, based on patients’ ranking for best quality, reputation, doctors and nurses. The Springfield Business Journal just recognized Mercy as the number one 2012 Choice Employer.

Mercy Hospital Springfield’s high quality, ethics, and value were also what led Walmart to name it as one of three Centers of Excellence for spine care. Walmart associates from miles away will be able to come to Mercy Hospital Springfield for spine care with no out-of-pocket expense. Walmart will even pay for travel and lodging for the patient and a loved one.

To see a complete list of Leapfrog’s latest hospital grades, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org The Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a grade that reflects a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe.