Walker Baptist Medical Center Nationally Recognized with Fifth Consecutive ‘A’ for Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

During a year that has put hospitals nationwide to the test in the most unforeseen and unprecedented ways, Walker Baptist is recognized for upholding the highest possible standards for patient care

BIRMINGHAM, ALA. - Walker Baptist Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ in the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing Walker’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.

"The safety of our patients and our staff, in particular during a pandemic, is a continuous exercise in quality improvement," said Walker Baptist Medical Center CEO, Mike Neuendorf. "Now more than ever, all the work and sustained efforts in the pursuit of quality have resulted in our ability to implement change and respond to the challenges associated with this pandemic. We are incredibly proud to have these continuous efforts recognized by the Leapfrog Group and receive our fifth consecutive ‘A’ safety grade at Walker Baptist Medical Center."

“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for Walker Baptist Medical Center. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. health care system, we appreciate you putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it.”

Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

Walker Baptist was awarded an ‘A’ grade today when Leapfrog updated grades for fall 2020. To see Walker’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.