Saint Anne’s Hospital Nationally Recognized for 21 Straight ‘A’s by the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

May 10, 2022

Fall River, MA – May 10, 2022 – For the 21st consecutive time, The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, has awarded Saint Anne’s Hospital an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for achieving the highest national standards in patient safety.

The Leapfrog Group assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country. The grade uses more than 30 measures of safety data, including rates of preventable errors, injuries, and infections, while also accounting for whether hospitals have systems in place to protect patients from harm.

Saint Anne’s is one of only 22 hospitals in the country to be awarded an “A” every grading cycle since 2012.

“I am so impressed by the steady commitment to patient safety that our entire Saint Anne’s Hospital family demonstrates, day in and day out,” said Michael Bushell, hospital president. “Our staff have worked hard to established and maintain such a strong culture of safety.”

“Our patients are our primary focus,” said Carole Billington, RN, MSN, NEA-BC, chief operating officer and chief nursing officer. “When your mission revolves around always doing what’s best for patients and their families, it brings a heightened level of caring and compassion that leads to better outcomes and safer care.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms 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.

“‘Straight As’ for 10 years is an incredibly difficult distinction to achieve, and one of which this community should be tremendously proud. Saint Anne’s Hospital has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to protecting patients from preventable harm,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The leadership and workforce of Saint Anne’s deserve to be commended for this excellence in patient safety despite the continued challenges to our health care system.”

To see Saint Anne’s Hospital’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook, and via its newsletter.

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 for patient safety. 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 Saint Anne’s Hospital

Founded by the Dominican Sisters of the Presentation in 1906, Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, Massachusetts, is a full-service, acute care Catholic hospital with 211 beds and satellite locations in Dartmouth, Attleboro, Swansea, and New Bedford, Massachusetts. A member of Steward Health Care, Saint Anne’s provides nationally recognized patient- and family-centered inpatient care and outpatient clinical services to patients from surrounding Massachusetts and Rhode Island communities.

Saint Anne’s key services include the Center for Orthopedic Excellence; bariatric surgery; multiple robotic-assisted surgical capabilities, including orthopedic surgery, spine surgery, and general surgery; Saint Anne’s Hospital Regional Cancer Center; two ambulatory surgery centers; the Center for Pain Management; and inpatient geriatric psychiatry services. In addition to earning “Straight A’s” for patient safety since 2012, Saint Anne’s has earned national recognitions for cancer care, spine surgery, bariatric surgery, stroke care, and patient experience. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.