The Leapfrog Group gave 19 North Texas hospitals its top safety rating in its semi-annual review of 59 hospitals in North Texas. Leapfrog is a national nonprofit that represents hundreds of the nation’s largest employers and purchasers of health care.
The grading system gives A-F grades to each hospital based on that hospital’s ability to protect patients from avoidable errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. In North Texas, 11 of Medical City’s hospitals and three Methodist facilities received an A. Ten hospitals received Bs, 26 received Cs, and three received Ds. That means just as many local hospitals received a C or D, as an A or B. The rating uses up to 27 measures to evaluate hospital safety data rates more than 2,600 US hospitals twice per year.
“As we grapple with the current implications and lasting ramifications of COVID-19, hospital and patient safety have never been more important,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group via release. “We thank all hospitals and heroic members of the health care work force for their efforts to protect and save patients this year.”
The hospitals earning an A grade in North Texas are:
- Baylor Scott & White Heart and Vascular Hospital Dallas
- Dallas Regional Medical Center (Mesquite)
- Lake Granbury Medical Center (Granbury)
- Medical City Alliance (Fort Worth)
- Medical City Arlington
- Medical City Dallas
- Medical City Denton
- Medical City Fort Worth
- Medical City Frisco
- Medical City Las Colinas
- Medical City Lewisville
- Medical City McKinney
- Medical City North Hills (North Richland Hills)
- Medical City Plano
- Methodist Dallas Medical Center
- Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
- Methodist Richardson Medical Center
- Texoma Medical Center (Denison)
- UT Southwestern Zale Lipshy Pavilion at William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital (Dallas)
- William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital (Dallas)
The hospitals that received a D are Parkland Health and Hospital System, Baylor Scott and White Medical Center – Sunnyvale, and Baylor Scott and White Medical Center – Plano.
The results are similar to last year, Medical City and Methodist both scored well. Last year, Baylor Scott & White scored three As, though only one this year. Texas Health Resources also had three As last year, but none this year. Medical City went from nine As to 12.
The Leapfrog ratings are led by the DFW Business Group on Health, which advocates for better healthcare solutions for the region’s employers. “The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade offers North Texas employers and consumers critical information about which hospitals in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are best at protecting patients from preventable harm,” said Marianne Fazen, executive director for DFWBGH via release. “In light of the pandemic, the need for transparency and accountability across our nation’s hospitals has never been more urgent. We commend our hospitals in north Texas, particularly those that earned an A grade, for ensuring that the safety of the patients they serve comes first.”
See all the rankings and methodology here.
