Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice a year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is continuously making efforts to improve quality and safety performance and voluntarily submits safety surveys to Leapfrog as part of our commitment to transparency. Meeting these strenuous performance standards requires a singular focus, exceptional teamwork and consistent, rigorous processes. We are honored to receive these competitive awards that truly recognize our unwavering commitment to provide our patients with the safest and highest quality care.

The Hospital Safety Grade can provide the consumer with a guide in selecting a hospital that provides the safest care for themselves and their family.

Leapfrog uses a rating system so people can see a hospital’s progress in meeting safety and quality standards. To see a detailed listing of Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare's progress towards meeting Leapfrog's standards, click a letter grade below.

Germantown

North

Olive Branch

South

University

Spring 2025

How Grades Are Determined

The Leapfrog Hospital Survey is a national, evidence-based survey of hospital safety, quality, and efficiency. Annually over 1700 hospitals report to the Leapfrog Hospital Survey on certain aspects of care found to be of most important to consumers. Leapfrog’s survey has three overall focus areas:

How patients fare – Leapfrog asks hospitals to report on how patients in their hospital fare while undergoing high-risk newborn deliveries, normal newborn deliveries, and any acquired infections or post surgical infections.
Resources used to promote safety and quality for patients – Leapfrog asks hospitals to have specific safety standards in place to prevent harm to patients.
Management practices that promote safety and quality – Leapfrog asks hospital to report on things that their administration and leadership team have adopted to promote safety and quality. For example computerized physician order entry (CPOE) system, which are used so doctors can order medication electronically, have been shown to reduce medication errors by up to 85% because they contain decision support tools designed to alert doctors to potential drug to drug interactions, allergies and other common prescribing errors. Hospitals have also been asked to report on their Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) System. This type of electronic scanning is used to prevent patient medication errors by scanning the patient’s identification bracelet and then medication prescribed to make sure there is a match before administering.

What These Grades Mean & Why They're Important to You

Cesarean Sections

A first time expectant Mother should choose a hospital with a low percentage rate for Cesarean sections (C-section) births if she is having a single term baby in the head down position.

Doctors order medications through a computer

Patients should choose a hospital that uses computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) systems to order medications, tests, and procedures. CPOE systems are computer systems designed to alert doctors and other prescribers to potentially serious problems with their instructions.

Experience of Children and their Parents

CAHPS Children Hospital Survey is a report that is designed to assess and improve the experience of pediatric patients and their parents/caregivers.

High-Risk Deliveries

Patients having a high-risk delivery should choose a hospital that follows the recommended processes of care and also has lots of experience in caring for infants born with a very-low birthweight (less than 1500 grams).

High-Risk Surgeries

Hospitals have been asked to report over a 12 month period their patient surgical volume and the minimum surgeon volume for each of the electively performed high risk surgeries.

Infection in the Blood

Patients should choose a hospital that has a lower rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections. Hospitals are compared to the rates of other hospitals for these type of infections.

Managing Serious Errors

Patients should choose a hospital that has implemented Leapfrog's policy on managing and reporting events (or "never events") such as surgery on the wrong body part or death due to contaminated drugs or devices.

Maternity Care Processes

A patient that will be delivering a baby should choose a hospital that adheres to evidence that promotes a healthy outcome for both the mother and the baby. This includes delivering the baby at the appropriate developmental age, using an appropriate delivery method, and following recommended processes of care.

Medication Documentation/Safety Processes for Elective Outpatient Procedures

A large majority of outpatient surgeries are now being performed in the hospital and at outpatient surgery centers. Leapfrog has asked that hospitals achieve at least a 90% compliance with this medication process.

It is important for hospitals to have a process in place that reviews all of the patient's home medications, medications ordered and given during the outpatient visit and a listing of all allergies with any type of adverse reaction documented in the patient’s medical record.

Medication Reconciliation

It is important that hospitals have a process in place to review the most accurate list of all medications that a patient is taking at the time of the patients admission and at the time of the patients discharge. Having an accurate list of medications has been shown to reduce potential harm to patients which can results in prolonged hospital stays and future hospital readmissions.

MRSA Infections

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of bacteria that cannot be killed by many antibiotics. You should choose a hospital that has a rate (number) less than one meaning that they have fewer infections for this type of bacteria.

Pediatric Radiation Doses

Computed Tomography (CT) radiation doses are much higher than a regular radiograph (x-ray). It is important that you choose a hospital that monitors their radiation doses in their pediatric patients and compares the doses to other hospitals with a common goal of lowering radiation exposure and still providing quality of care.

Rate of Early Elective Deliveries

Normal newborn deliveries between 37 and 39 weeks completed gestation. These early deliveries can result in an increase in the newborn’s length of stay and possible admission to the intensive care unit. This can also increase the cost to the patient. An expectant mother should choose a facility with a lower rate of early elective deliveries.

Rate of Episiotomies

An episiotomy is an incision in the perineum during childbirth. The current medical guidelines recommend this procedure only in certain cases. An expectant mother should choose a facility with a lower rate of episiotomies.

Safe Medication Administration

This type of electronic scanning is used to prevent patient medication errors by scanning the patient’s identification bracelet and then medication prescribed to make sure there is a match before administering.

Specially trained doctors care for ICU patients

Patients should choose a hospital with an intensive care unit (ICU) that is staffed by doctors and other caregivers who have special training in critical care medicine. These doctors are called 'intensivists'.

Steps to Avoid Harm

Patients should choose a hospital that has a high Leapfrog Safe Practices Score. This means the hospital has put in place procedures to reduce 4 common, preventable medical mistakes. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is committed to outstanding patient care. Registered nurse staffing is one component that influences the quality and safety of care. Nursing staffing is based on each clinical unit's unique circumstances (e.g., physical plant, patient conditions, experience of staff), the staffing levels recommended by specialty nursing organizations, and most important, the intensity of care and changing needs of our patients.

Surgical Site Infection following Major Colon Surgery

Steps must be taken by the hospital staff to prevent infection when having major colon surgery. The appropriate antibiotic must be given before surgery and on time and the skin area where the incision will be made must be cleaned appropriately.

Urinary Catheter Infections

Patients should choose a hospital that has a lower rate of urinary catheter tract infections. Hospitals are compared to the rates of other hospitals for these type of infections.

View our most recent Patient Experience scores

Learn more about Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare quality reports.

Learn more about our pediatric quality scores at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital.