TUPELO, Mississippi – North Mississippi Medical Center-Tupelo and North Mississippi Medical Center Gilmore-Amory received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

This national distinction celebrates the Tupelo and Amory hospitals’ achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.

“Under the most challenging conditions, our teammates in Tupelo and Amory sustained their commitment to safety and quality for our patients and their families,” said David C. Wilson, president of NMMC-Tupelo and chief operating officer for North Mississippi Health Services.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. NMMC-Tupelo and NMMC Gilmore-Amory received ‘A’ grades despite those challenges. “I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible.”

“Our team is dedicated to providing quality care for their neighbors every day,” said Jamie Rodgers, administrator of NMMC Gilmore-Amory. “Meeting national safety and quality standards year after year is a testament to their devotion to our communities.”

The Leapfrog Group updates Hospital Safety Grades twice annually, in the fall and spring. Since 2018, both the Tupelo and Amory hospitals have each earned nine “A” safety ratings.

“Receiving A grades from Leapfrog is a wonderful validation of all the hard work that goes into caring for our patients and their families, but our quality journey doesn’t stop there,” said Melody Poole, NMHS chief quality officer. “Our team is constantly renewing its commitment and looking for better ways to deliver the best care to every patient, every time.”

The Leapfrog Group was founded in 2000 and is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to drive gains in patient safety.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

More information on the Leapfrog ratings is available at www.HospitalSafetyGrade.org.