TUPELO, Miss.—North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo received an “A” grade in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing NMMC’s achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Leapfrog Hospital 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 the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care.

“We are very pleased that North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo has received a grade ‘A’ from Leapfrog,” said Shane Spees, president and chief executive officer for North Mississippi Health Services. “This is an amazing accomplishment for any hospital, but particularly so for larger hospitals.”

“NMMC’s mission is to continuously improve the health of the people in our region, and as such we feel the responsibility and weight of the word continuous,” added David Wilson, NMMC-Tupelo president. “Our outstanding team of caregivers is proud to receive the A grade.” NMMC-Tupelo is the only Level 1 or Level 2 Trauma Center in Mississippi to receive an “A.”

“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but North Mississippi Medical Center shows us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.”

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 2,700 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.

NMMC-Tupelo was awarded an “A” grade today when Leapfrog updated grades for spring 2021. To see NMMC-Tupelo’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.

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 and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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 North Mississippi Medical Center

North Mississippi Medical Center, a 650-bed regional referral center in Tupelo, is one of the nation’s largest rural-based hospitals. The medical center serves more than 730,000 people in 24 counties in north Mississippi, northwest Alabama and portions of Tennessee. NMMC-Tupelo is affiliated with North Mississippi Health Services, a 2012 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient.

Area residents have access to a medical staff representing more than 50 medical specialties, as well as centers of excellence in cardiac surgery, cardiology, research, neurology, neurosurgery, pulmonology, rehabilitation, cancer treatment, chemical dependency and neonatal programs. In addition, NMMC Home Health serves patients in 17 counties in north Mississippi and offers many complex and high-tech procedures that can be performed in the home setting.

NMMC-Tupelo is designated as a Level II trauma center by the Mississippi State Department of Health. To receive this designation, facilities must offer a full range of trauma capabilities, including an Emergency Department, a full service surgical suite, intensive care unit and diagnostic imaging, as well as make a commitment to consistently meet national guidelines or standards in caring for trauma patients. NMMC-Tupelo is one of only three hospitals in Mississippi to receive this designation and the only one in north Mississippi.