Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center Receives an ‘A’ for Patient Safety in Spring 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

HOUSTON, April 24, 2018 – New hospital safety grades were released today and Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center has received the top mark. The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C-based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers, today released the new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, a part of the CHI Texas Division, was one of 750 awarded an ‘A’ for its efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards in the U.S. 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 receive an 'A' grade for patient safety. As we have for many years, we remain committed to compassionate quality health care, delivering the most effective treatment options to meet the needs of our patients, and making life-changing breakthroughs, while keeping safety as a top priority for all," said Gay Nord, market president at Baylor St. Luke's.

“This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections, and injuries,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Receiving an ‘A’ Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day.”

Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

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.

About Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center 
Baylor St. Luke’s Medical Center is an 881-bed quaternary care hospital that is part of the Texas Division of 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 holds a collaborative partnership with Baylor College of Medicine was the first hospital 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 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.