Deaconess Henderson Hospital has earned an ‘A’ rating from a national nonprofit watchdog group that grades hospitals on their patient safety.
In addition to Deaconess Henderson Hospital, Deaconess Midtown and Gateway also earned an ‘A,’ according to a release from Deaconess.
“We are very proud that our Deaconess team earned an ‘A,’ ” said Linda White, the chief administrative officer at Deaconess Henderson.
The rating came from The Leapfrog Group which every spring and fall releases its grades—The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade—for nearly 3,000 hospitals across the nation, according to its website.
Deaconess said the safety grade focuses on “preventable medical errors, infections and injuries” at hospitals.
In previous ratings, the hospital scored a ‘B’ in both fall and spring 2023. In both fall and spring 2022, the hospital scored an ‘A.’ In fall 2021, it scored an ‘A’ and in spring 2021, a ‘B.’
Farther back in the spring of 2019—when it was Methodist Hospital—it scored an ‘F.’
White became CEO of the Henderson hospital in October 2019. The hospital scored a ‘C’ in the next two ratings and has been graded at ‘A’ or ‘B’ since.
White said the Henderson hospital is always looking for ways to make improvements, and in an interview with the Hendersonian she pointed out methods from dealing with patient falls to improving hand hygiene—“foaming in (when entering a room” and foaming out (when leaving).”
“I know that sounds elementary but it’s very important to stop the spread of infection,” said White.
She added that the recent step from a ‘B’ to an ‘A’ comes from a commitment to safety of every hospital employee, White said.
It doesn’t matter what aspect it is, she said, “We’re all about safety.”
Looking forward, White said the hospital will continue to pursue advanced services for the community while also adding some specialized physicians.
She did say that the hospital won’t try to do much, and instead focus on what it can do and do it well. “We want to excel in what we do best,” she said.
For example, the hospital can’t provide brain surgery. For that, a patient would go across the river. “We cannot be all things to all people,” she said.
The grades are fully transparent and free, said the release.
To access the grade, go to: Hospital Safety Grade.
Once there, use the search prompts to find Deaconess Henderson via either city, zip code, hospital or state.
When clicking upon the Deaconess Henderson Hospital logo, the grades for Infections, Problems with Surgery, Safety Problems, Practices to Prevent Errors and Doctors, Nurses & Hospital Staff are available with a click.