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Claiborne Medical Center has earned an “A” hospital safety grade for Spring 2024 from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization which collects and reports data related to safety, quality, and other aspects of hospitals’ performance.

Claiborne is a member of Covenant Health, and each of the healthcare organization’s nine acute-care hospitals throughout East Tennessee received an “A” grade for Spring 2024. Leapfrog assigns safety grades based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.

“I am very proud of our Claiborne team and their focus on quality and excellent patient care,” said Patti Ketterman, president and chief administrative officer of Claiborne Medical Center. “I want to congratulate them for again achieving an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group. The Tri-

State area relies on our hospital to care for them, and we take that responsibility very seriously.”

“Covenant Health is well-respected for the high quality of care we provide in our communities, and we are pleased to be recognized at a national level,” said Mike Belbeck, executive vice president of operations for Covenant Health. “Across our entire organization, we continually focus on internal processes for improving patient safety. Our hospitals have achieved high levels of performance, often exceeding national benchmarks, in areas such as preventing healthcare-associated infections. I applaud our staff for their dedication to fulfilling Covenant Health’s pledge of excellence.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, infections and injuries. 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.

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

In addition to Claiborne, other Covenant Health hospitals earning “A” safety grades are Cumberland Medical Center, Crossville; Fort Loudoun Medical Center, Lenoir City; Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Knoxville; LeConte Medical Center, Sevierville; Methodist Medical Center, Oak Ridge; Morristown-Hamblen Healthcare System, Morristown; Roane Medical Center, Harriman; and Parkwest Medical Center, Knoxville.

To see details about the safety grades and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital,

visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.