Catholic Health’s St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center has earned its 18th “A” rating in the fall 2021 Hospital Safety Scores from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization that ranks the safest hospitals in the nation.
An “A’ is the highest rating awarded by Leapfrog. St. Francis is one of just two hospitals on Long Island and Queens to get an ‘A’ in the fall scores. The hospital also has earned the most ‘A’s in New York since the safety score’s debut in 2012.
“Now more than ever, patients need to know that a hospital will provide world-class medical care and do so in a safe environment,” said St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center President Charles L. Lucore. “The ‘A’ rating from Leapfrog is indicative of St. Francis’s continued laser-focus commitment to patient safety.”
The Leapfrog honor is the latest award for St. Francis. It is the first and only hospital on Long Island to receive a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for consistently high patient satisfaction scores. Its nursing staff has been honored with the prestigious Magnet® designation for excellence in nursing three consecutive times.
St. Francis is also nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in five adult specialties—Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Neurology & Neurosurgery and Orthopedics. It was also rated among the top 10 hospitals in the region, ranking #6 in New York State and No. 6 in the New York Metropolitan Area.
The semi-annual rankings rely on data from Leapfrog’s ratings as well as outside sources, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Joint Commission. Grades range from ‘A’ to ‘F’ based on 27 publicly available safety measures.
More than 2,600 acute care hospitals are ranked nationwide. Hospitals are rated on how well they prevented errors, infections, injuries and drug mix-ups that could lead to medical complications and unnecessary loss of life.
Previously, St. Francis has been recognized by Leapfrog as a Top General Hospital, nationally. The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive honors American hospitals can receive.
According to Leapfrog, selecting the right hospital can reduce your risk of avoidable death by 50%. The ratings service says its scores empower patients to make informed decisions about the safety of their hospital care.
