Tyler, Texas (April 29, 2021) — UT Health Tyler, UT Health North Campus Tyler and UT Health Jacksonville maintained an 'A' rating in the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing the hospitals' achievements protecting patients from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.
The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to healthcare 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 the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals' prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care. UT Health hospitals were the only hospitals in the region to receive an A letter grade.
Tracy O'Daniel, UT Health East Texas division vice president for quality, said the A letter grades in the fall and spring are indicative of the improvements in quality and safety that have been accomplished since UT Health East Texas formed in March 2018.
"UT Health East Texas has been on a journey toward high reliability since late 2018, when we rolled out our Mission Zero program, which has a goal of zero patient harm. Since that time, our quality and safety have continued to improve and safety awareness has increased across our system," O'Daniel said. "This release of Leapfrog grades only emphasizes that commitment and evidences the sustainability of the work we are doing to drive outcomes and safety for the communities we serve."
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.
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 UT Health East Texas
UT Health East Texas provides care to thousands of patients each year through an extensive regional network that includes 10 hospitals, more than 50 clinics, the Olympic Plaza Tower, 13 regional rehabilitation facilities, two freestanding emergency centers, regional home health services covering 41 counties, an EMS fleet of more than 50 ambulances and four helicopters, and a comprehensive seven-trauma center care network, including the region's only Level 1 trauma facility.
As a partner with The University of Texas System, UT Health East Texas is uniquely positioned to provide patients with access to leading-edge research and clinical therapies while training and educating the next generation of physicians and other health professionals. The nationally recognized UT System also includes The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, as well as three other major university medical centers located throughout the state.