All Austin-area St. David's HealthCare system facilities receive A safety rating

All eligible Austin-area St. David's HealthCare facilities received A safety ratings following an annual evaluation done by the nonprofit Leapfrog Group, according to a news release from St. David's.

This rating is based on how well the hospital system protects patients from preventable medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections, according to the health care watchdog organization, which claims to be the only one of its kind.

St. David's received similar ratings in 2021 and 2022 with St. David's Medical Center being the only hospital to receive this A rating every year since Leapfrog launched the Hospital Safety Score initiative in 2012. Similarly, it is the only area health system to receive this rating for all of its facilities for each examination period.

By receiving all A ratings, the hospital system is being recognized for providing “safer health care and protecting patients from harm,” according to the release.

“St. David’s HealthCare has long been committed to providing exceptional care to every patient, every day,” said Dr. Ken Mitchell, chief medical officer of St. David’s HealthCare, in the news release. “We’re incredibly proud of our care teams who demonstrate integrity, compassion, accountability, respect and excellence to keep patients safe from harm.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent nonprofit that assigns letter grades to hospitals across the U.S. based on more than 30 performance measures, including prevention of medical errors, injuries, infections and accidents among patients in the care of these facilities. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer reviewed and available to the public. It is updated biannually in the fall and spring.