HPCI News: Iowa ranks 33rd in top Hospital Safety Grades

To: Members and Selected Others

Iowa ranks 33rd among the states in the percentage of hospitals receiving an “A” grade according to the latest Hospital Safety Grades reported by the Leapfrog Group. Nine of 33 Iowa hospitals received an “A” or twenty-seven percent (27%). States ranking the highest were RI at 71%, ME at 69%, HI at 67%, ID at 64%.and VA at 60% The hospitals in the neighboring state of Wisconsin is at 59% while Minnesota is at 29%.

The Leapfrog Group Fall 2017 Hospitals Safety Grades assigned a A, B, C, D or F letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S. in its bi-annual analysis. Over 2,600 hospitals were graded this time. Five states showed the most improvement since the inception of the Hospital Safety Grades in 2012: Oregon, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Wisconsin and Idaho.

“We have learned that transparency has a real impact on patient safety. By making the Hospital Safety Grades public, we’ve galvanized major change in these states and many communities,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of Leapfrog. “Errors and infections in hospitals are the third leading cause of death in America, and people deserve to know which of their hospitals are best at preventing them,” said Binder.

“A” Hospitals in greater Iowa getting an "A" grade are:

  • Allen Hospital, Waterloo
  • Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Des Moines
  • Lakes Regional Health Center, Spirit Lake
  • Mercy Medical Center, Clinton
  • Mercy Medical Center, Dubuque
  • Methodist Jennie Edmudson, Council Bluffs
  • Skiff Medical Center, Newton
  • Spencer Hospital, Spencer
  • St. Lukes Hospital, Cedar Rapids
  • Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, LaCrosse
  • Mayo Clinic Hospital – Methodist, Rochester
  • Mayo Clinic Hospital – St. Mary’s. Rochester

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

For more information go to www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.



Paul M. Pietzsch, MPH
HPCI - IHBA Office
4430 Ashley Park Drive
West Des Moines, Iowa 50265
(515) 778-6300

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