South KC Chamber member St. Joseph Medical Center has been awarded an ‘A’ grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade is a letter grade assigned to all general hospitals across the country and it is updated every six months to assess how well the hospital prevents medical errors and other harms to patients.

“The importance of these latest highest rankings and awards can’t be overemphasized,” said Jodi Fincher, CEO, St. Joseph Medical Center. “They point to our ongoing commitment to quality and overall safety for our patients and staff. We’re honored that St. Joseph Medical Center has been recognized for its commitment to health care excellence.”

Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

“As the nation copes with a challenging pandemic, our gratitude extends to hospital leadership and health care workers everywhere for their tremendous dedication,” said Leah Binder, president, and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We hope this ‘A’ helps to thank the people who work and volunteer for St. Joseph Medical Center. They are role models in putting patients first, and their service has been extraordinary in our country’s time of need.”

To see St. Joseph Medical Center’s full grade report, please visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.