NEA Baptist Receives an ‘A’ for Patient Safety

Awarded in Spring 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

JONESBORO, Ark.— The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C-based organization aiming to improve health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers, has released the new Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. NEA Baptist was one of 750 in the nation awarded an ‘A’ for its efforts in protecting patients from harm and meeting the highest safety standards. The Safety Grade assigns an A, B, C, D  or F grade to hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among patients in their care.

“I am so proud of our team for earning this honor,” said Brad Parsons, administrator and CEO of NEA Baptist. “Caring for our community is a privilege that we take very seriously, and I am so happy our team members and physicians are getting the recognition they deserve for their continued work to provide high quality care.”

Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

“This is the only national rating of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm and death, such as medical errors, infections, and injuries,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Receiving an ‘A’ Safety Grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day.”

To see NEA Baptist’s full grade details, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit http://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade on Twitter and Facebook.

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 collects and transparently reports hospital 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.

About NEA Baptist

NEA Baptist Health System comprises NEA Baptist Memorial Hospital, NEA Baptist Fowler Family Center for Cancer Care and NEA Baptist Clinic, northeast Arkansas’ largest physician group. 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 including weight loss surgery, neurology, respiratory care and pulmonary rehabilitation. NEA Baptist Clinic’s over 100 physicians practice in more than 35 specialties and offer a wealth of services, from pediatrics to orthopedic services. NEA Baptist was in the top 3% of hospitals in the nation in 2017 for receiving the Patient Experience Award and the Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades.

For more information about NEA Baptist, please call 870-936-1000 or 870-936-8000 or visit www.neabaptist.com or www.neabaptistclinic.com.