BROWNSVILLE & HARLINGEN – Valley Baptist Health System once again received “A” ratings in patient safety from The Leapfrog as the company recently released its spring 2021 safety scores for hospitals nationwide.

Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville and Valley Baptist-Harlingen each received their eighth-consecutive “A” ratings from The Leapfrog Group, demonstrating the commitment to delivering safe, high-quality patient care both hospitals are known for.

“People assume that hospitals will heal them and keep them from harm. Although we are honored that our patients trust us to deliver excellent and safe care, that trust must be earned. Our ‘A’ grade from Leapfrog is national recognition that we continue to earn that trust by providing care that is only found in the top hospitals throughout the country,” said Leslie Bingham, CEO, Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville. “The fact that we consistently achieve ‘A’ status year after year is a direct reflection of the commitment of every physician and staff member on our care team, especially as we continue to work with our community to manage what we hope will be the final stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Leapfrog Group Hospital Safety Score is a rating system designed to give consumers information they can use to make healthcare decisions for themselves or a loved one. The Leapfrog Group assigns A, B, C, D, and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals based on their ability to prevent errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

In addition to earning its eighth-consecutive “A” rating from The Leapfrog Group, this is also Valley Baptist-Brownsville’s tenth “A” rating in the last 10 reporting periods.

“An ‘A’ safety grade is an elite designation that your community should be proud of,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The past year has been extraordinarily difficult for hospitals, but both Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville and Valley Baptist-Harlingen show us it is possible to keep a laser focus on patients and their safety, no matter what it takes.”

Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses as many as 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.

Manny Vela, CEO for Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen and Valley Baptist Health System, said the entire team at Valley Baptist-Harlingen remains as committed as ever to patient safety.

“Recognition of this sort does not happen by chance, and Valley Baptist has built its reputation on providing safe, compassionate healthcare to our communities for nearly 100 years,” Vela said. “That recognition is possible only through the dedication and tireless work of our physicians, nurses, and ancillary staff who treat our patients as though they were family regardless of the challenging environments around them, not only during the COVID pandemic, but beyond.”

To see full grades for both Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville and Valley Baptist-Harlingen and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.