St. Joseph Health Earns Top Quality Grade among Brazos Valley Hospitals

Bryan, TX, May 28, 2019—The Leapfrog Group, a national hospital rating organization, has assigned a quality grade of B – the highest grade among Brazos Valley hospitals – to St. Joseph Health. The accountability organization ranks 2,600 hospitals annually. To assign its quality grade, The Leapfrog Group survey reviews hospital performance on 28 national, publicly-reported patient safety metrics tied to St. Joseph Health processes, structure and outcomes. Those metrics evaluate the health system’s progress on incorporating best practices and evidence-based standards into the care it provides. “Achieving a B on this survey has been a team effort,” said Theron Park, Market President of St. Joseph Health. “This grade is a testament to the effort our team members and providers make every day to put our patients and families first.” To earn its rating, the St. Joseph Health team continued in its commitment to safety in both processes and outcomes. The health system earned above the national mean in processes to support patient safety, like safe medication administration, nurse staffing and risk prevention and in survey areas tied to patient experience, like communication with nurses and providers, responsiveness of staff and communication about medication and discharge. In survey areas related to safety best practices, St. Joseph Health even exceeded the performance of the country’s best performing hospitals in leadership to prevent errors, tracking and reducing risks to patients, nurse staffing and hand hygiene. The health system also rated above the national mean for many Leapfrog measures linked to patient outcomes, tracked from 2015-17. “Safety is a journey, and it’s a big part of the unparalleled experience we want our patients to have here at St. Joseph Health,” said Park. “The Leapfrog Group survey gives us a chance to celebrate our achievements and identify the opportunities we have to continue improving the standard of quality care we provide here every day.” For more information on the St. Joseph Health quality score, visit www.leapfrog.org. About The Leapfrog Group The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care purchasers, using their collective influence to foster positive change in U.S. health care. Leapfrog is the nation’s premier advocate of hospital transparency – collecting, analyzing and disseminating hospital data to inform value-based purchasing. About St. Joseph Health Established in 1936, St. Joseph Health is a faith-based, not-for-profit health system committed to excellence and compassion in caring for the mind, body and spirit while creating healthier communities. St. Joseph Health is comprised of five hospital facilities across the Brazos Valley, including St. Joseph Health Regional Hospital, the region’s highest level trauma center. St. Joseph Health Medical Group operates more than a dozen primary and specialty care clinics around the region, offering expert care, closer to home. [For more information, please contact Director of Marketing and Public Relations Heather Bush at 979-774-2165 or [email protected].]