Flagstaff Medical Center Receives Highest Grade for Patient Safety

Flagstaff Medical Center (FMC) received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national non-profit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction celebrates FMC’s achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.

“A big congratulations to the staff at FMC for receiving an ‘A’ grade for Spring 2023 Hospital Safety Grades,” said Josh Tinkle, acting CEO of Northern Arizona Healthcare. “It is so important to have a safe work environment in a hospital setting, for both the patients and the staff, and to see our FMC colleagues recognized for properly executing the correct safety protocols makes me so proud.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns letter grades to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “But this hospital received an ‘A’ despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

To see FMC’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook and via its newsletter. FBN