Straight 'A' streak continues: NFH awarded 8th Leapfrog 'A' on 50th anniversary keyboard_arrow_right

HCA Florida North Florida Hospital 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 HCA Florida North Florida Hospital's 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. This is also the hospital's 8^th "A" Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade in a row, displaying the hospital's commitment to quality in its 50^th year of service.

"We are proud to be celebrating our 50^th year of caring for our community like family this year, making our 8^th "A" Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade even more significant to us," said Eric Lawson, chief executive officer of HCA Florida North Florida Hospital. "Our hospital was built by HCA Healthcare in 1973 on the foundation that our patients will always be at the center of everything we do. This safety grade further affirms the dedication our colleagues have in providing compassionate and advanced care to our community for the last 50years."

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. "But this hospital received an 'A' despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible."

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.

To see HCA Florida North Florida 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.