Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades are Here

The Leapfrog Group published its Hospital Safety Grades this morning. CFMH and CRMH maintained their “A” and “B” grades, respectively, and CNRV’s grade lowered to a “C”.

The reduction of hospital acquired infections (HAIs) significantly contributed to CRMH receiving a "B" grade—a notable achievement for the region's only level 1 trauma center handling the most complex patient cases. The same level of improvement in patient experience will help us achieve our ultimate goal of an "A" grade.

CNRV’s lower grade is a result of lagging measures from 2021 through 2023 for Patient Safety Indicator events such as pressure ulcers and surgical inpatients with serious treatable illnesses and from 2023 including HAIs associated with central lines and catheters. During this time, COVID was more prevalent at CNRV and patients were more likely to experience these types of safety events.

We’ve made improvements over the last year, but it will take time for those measures to be replaced by more recent, positive trends.

Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, and the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them. Some hospitals, like our other community hospitals, are not included in the ratings because of their size.

Patient experience is also heavily emphasized in Leapfrog scores, highlighting the importance of communication and responsiveness in making patients feel safe.

The latest ratings are just one tool of many that patients can consider when making healthcare decisions such as choosing a hospital. 

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring. It is one of many ratings we pay attention to in our quest for exceptional quality and patient safety.

To explore our organization's full grade details, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.