Fall River, MA – May 1, 2024 – For the 25th time in a row, Saint Anne’s Hospital has been awarded an “A” Hospital Safety Grade by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of excellence in patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.

This accolade recognizes Saint Anne’s as one of just 15 hospitals out of more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals to earn an “A” Grade continuously since 2012. Saint Anne’s also is the only hospital in New England to have earned this distinction.

Saint Anne’s Hospital President Michael Bushell noted that maintaining an A grade for 25 cycles over 12 years is a testament to the culture of safety that is at the heart of Saint Anne’s philosophy of care.

“Patient safety is our first and foremost responsibility,” said Bushell, “and it is built into everything we do.

“When our patients receive safe care, it conveys respect for them,” he said. “They know we value accountability and clinical excellence, while never forgetting that compassion also is critical to a patient’s experience.  This means that everyone, every day, cares for patients in ways that strive to avoid errors and ensure high-quality care. We’re proud that consistent efforts by every member of the hospital team to safeguard our patients have resulted in this national recognition.”

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

“Everyone who works at Saint Anne’s Hospital should be proud of this ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes complete dedication of at every level, and an ironclad commitment to putting patients first. I thank Saint Anne’s, its leadership, clinicians, staff, and volunteers for caring so deeply for its patients and their safety.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day nationally. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring. Saint Anne’s has earned an “A” every time the grades have been updated since the inception of the Hospital Safety Grade in 2012.

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

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.

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 for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and 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.