Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, St. Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital and St. Luke’s Health Brazosport Receive an ‘A’ for Patient Safety in Fall 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

HOUSTON, November 8, 2018 – Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, St. Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital and St. Luke’s Health Brazosport were awarded an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2018 Hospital Safety Grade. The designation recognizes these three medical institutions’ efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States. Baylor St. Luke's also received an 'A' grade in spring 2018.

The Leapfrog Group is a national organization committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care.

"We are honored to have received an 'A' grade for patient safety at three of our Houston area hospitals, said Dr. Doug Lawson, CEO of CHI Texas Division. "This award is demonstrative of our extraordinary commitment to compassionate, quality healthcare and patient safety.”

“Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades recognize hospitals like Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, St. Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital and St. Luke’s Health Brazosport that focus on advancing patient safety. This ranking provides an important resource for patients, and a benchmark for hospitals, to determine how care at one hospital compares to others in a region,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Hospitals that earn an A Hospital Safety Grade deserve to be recognized for their efforts in preventing medical harm and errors.”

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

Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, St. Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital and St. Luke’s Health Brazosport were among 855 hospitals across the United States awarded an A in the Fall 2018 update of grades. To see Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, St. Luke's Health–The Woodlands Hospital and St. Luke’s Health Brazosport’s full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

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About Catholic Health Initiatives

St. Luke’s Health is a part of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), one of the nation’s largest health systems. Headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, CHI operates in 17 states and comprises 100 hospitals, including three academic health centers and major teaching hospitals; 30 critical-access facilities; community health-services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home-health agencies; and other facilities and services that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. Learn more at CatholicHealthInitiatives.org.

About the CHI Texas Division

The CHI Texas Division, a member of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), is comprised of three markets―CHI St. Luke’s Health (St. Luke’s) is home of the Texas Heart® Institute (THI), eight hospitals, eight emergency centers, Diagnostic & Treatment Center, Radiation & CyberKnife® Center, and numerous Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Group locations throughout Greater Houston; St. Luke’s Health Memorial (three hospitals and a long-term acute care facility in East Texas); and St. Joseph Health (five hospitals and several St. Joseph Medical Group locations across Brazos Valley). In addition, St. Luke’s is a part of a joint venture agreement with Baylor College of Medicine®, which encompasses Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center, the flagship facility and academic medical center of St. Luke’s, in the Texas Medical Center. Together, St. Luke’s, THI, and Baylor College of Medicine are transforming healthcare delivery with a mission to usher in a new era of healthcare to create healthier communities. For more information, visit CHITX.org.

About Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center

Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center is an 881-bed quaternary care academic medical center that is a joint venture between Baylor College of Medicine and St. Luke’s Health. Located in the Texas Medical Center, the hospital is the home of the Texas Heart® Institute, a world-class cardiovascular research and education institution founded in 1962 by Denton A. Cooley, MD—consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best in Cardiovascular Services & Heart Surgery. The hospital was the first facility in Texas and the Southwest designated a Magnet® hospital for Nursing Excellence by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, receiving the award four consecutive times. Baylor St. Luke’s also has three community emergency centers offering adult and pediatric care for the Greater Houston area.

About St. Luke's Health The Woodlands Hospital

The Woodlands Hospital provides high quality, compassionate care for residents of The Woodlands and surrounding areas. It is a 242-bed hospital that offers the latest in diagnostic, medical and surgical services, including cardiology, neurosciences and stroke care, orthopedics, bariatric, wound care, rehabilitation, surgery, women's health and emergency care.

About St. Luke's Health Brazosport

St. Luke’s Health Brazosport is located on a beautiful 25- acre campus in Lake Jackson, TX offering state of the art diagnostic and comprehensive treatment services. A 154-bed patient tower, trauma level III emergency services, advanced cardiac care center and full-service multidisciplinary cancer center make St. Luke’s Health Brazosport your premier healthcare System.

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 collects and transparently reports hospital 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.