St. Joseph’s Health Nationally Recognized with a Leapfrog Safety Grade “A” for the Fifth Consecutive Rating Period

Syracuse, N.Y. – St. Joseph’s Health received an “A” grade in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing the health system’s achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. It is St. Joseph’s fifth “A” in a row, and sixth overall. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.

“To receive another “A” safety grade from Leapfrog – our fifth in a row – while we are facing the incredible challenges of a global pandemic, is an extraordinary achievement,” said Leslie Paul Luke, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health. “We have always taken safety very seriously and the innovative work we’ve done this year with air quality, decontamination, COVID prevention measures and more, is a testament to our commitment. I am extremely proud of the entire St. Joseph’s Health team.”

“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but St. Joseph’s Health shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.”

Developed under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

St. Joseph’s Health was awarded an “A” grade today when Leapfrog updated grades for spring 2021. To see St. Joseph’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.

About St. Joseph’s Health

St. Joseph’s Health is a regional non-profit health care system based in Syracuse, NY. St. Joseph’s has been an innovative leader in health care since our founding in 1869 as the first hospital open to the public in the city of Syracuse. Offering primary, specialty and home care, a Magnet-recognized hospital, and collaboration with community partners, St. Joseph's Health advances the well-being of the communities we serve through an expanding range of services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. St. Joseph’s is ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, a designated Stroke Center and a U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital.” St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with St. Joseph’s Physicians and is a member of Trinity Health. For more information on our founding Sisters of St. Francis including Saint Marianne Cope, our legacy and our innovations, visit www.sjhsyr.org/legacy.

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 and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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.