St. Joseph's Nationally Recognized With An ‘A’ For the Fall 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade

STOCKTON, November 20, 2019 - Dignity Health – St. Joseph’s Medical Center was awarded an ‘A’ in fall 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction  recognizing St. Joseph’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization driven by employers and other purchasers of health care committed to improving health care quality and safety for consumers and purchasers. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country based on their performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.
 
"Each day, our team of dedicated caregivers works together to provide safe, high quality care to each of our patients,” said Don Wiley, president and CEO of St. Joseph's Medical Center. “We are so proud to receive this 'A' grade, as it reaffirms our diligent work in the area of patient safety."
 
Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 28 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.
 
“‘A’ hospitals show us their leadership is protecting patients from preventable medical harm and error,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes genuine commitment at every level – from clinicians to administrators to the board of directors – and we congratulate the teams who have worked so hard to earn this A.” 
 
In addition to receiving an ‘A’ grade, St. Joseph’s was recently voted Best Hospital by The Record’s readers in the Best of San Joaquin 2019 poll, a recognition the hospital has consistently received since the program’s inception. Additionally, St. Joseph’s Emergency Department, Cardiac Services, and Home Health Care were also voted Best of San Joaquin. St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Center was voted Best Mental Health Services.

To see St. Joseph's Medical Center's full grade, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.

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About St. Joseph's Medical Center 
St. Joseph's Medical Center is a not-for-profit, fully accredited, regional hospital with 355 beds, a physician staff of over 700, and more than 2,700 employees. Specializing in cardiovascular care, comprehensive cancer services, and women and children's services, St. Joseph's is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. As a Sponsoring Institution for Graduate Medical Education, St. Joseph’s supports rapidly growing educational programs for both resident physicians and medical students. In addition to being nationally recognized as a quality leader, St. Joseph's is consistently chosen as the "most preferred hospital" by local consumers. St. Joseph's is the largest hospital, as well as one of the largest private employers in San Joaquin County. Founded in 1899 by Fr. William O'Connor and administered by the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, St. Joseph's continues to lead the region in medical innovation. St. Joseph's Medical Center is a member of Dignity Health, a system of ancillary care sites, medical foundations, and acute care hospitals serving California, Arizona and Nevada.