NEA Baptist Awarded ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from Leapfrog Group

JONESBORO, Ark. –NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital received an A Hospital Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

“We’re honored to receive this recognition from the Leapfrog Group,” said Sam Lynd, CEO and administrator of NEA Baptist. “This safety rating demonstrates the quality of our hospital and reassures the community that they can trust the care they receive from our team at NEA Baptist.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade 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 national distinction celebrates a hospital’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.

“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 NEA Baptist 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 NEA Baptist’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, the Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. 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. For more, follow us on Twitter and Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter.

NEA Baptist comprises NEA Baptist Clinic, NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital and NEA Baptist Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care. The 228-bed hospital offers cancer care, heart care through the Heart Center, labor and delivery services through the hospital’s Women’s Center, as well as a number of inpatient and outpatient services, emergency care and surgical services, such as weight loss surgery, neurology, respiratory care and pulmonary rehabilitation. NEA Baptist Clinic has more than 110 physicians practicing in more than 35 specialties and offering a wealth of services from pediatrics to orthopedics. For more information about NEA Baptist, please call 870-936-1000 or visit www.baptistonline.org/locations/nea.