Hospitals across the United States are showing improvement when it comes to patient safety, but according to the latest report from The Leapfrog Group, more work needs to be done.

The updated Hospital Safety Scores – the A, B, C, D and F score assigned to U.S. general hospitals based on their levels infections, injuries, and medical and medication errors – were released today by The Leapfrog Group, an independent, national not-for-profit organization of employer purchasers of health care. Scores were assigned to 24 hospitals in Iowa, with seven receiving an “A,” the highest rating. None of the Iowa hospitals graded received a failing score.

Calculated under the guidance of a nine-member panel of patient safety experts, the Hospital Safety Score uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors.

“Iowans should be proud of the hospitals who achieved ‘A’ Hospital Safety Scores,” said Rebecca Dunk of Cedar Rapids, chair of the Greater Iowa Leapfrog Group Regional Rollout.

The seven “A” hospitals are Genesis Medical Center-Davenport, Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Mary Greeley Medical Center of Ames, Mercy Medical Center of Cedar Rapids, Mercy Medical Center of Dubuque, Spencer Municipal Hospital and Trinity Bettendorf.   

In Des Moines, Mercy Medical Center – Des Moines received a B, Iowa Lutheran Hospital got a B and Iowa Methodist Medical Center got a C.

Iowans “should use the Hospital Safety Score as one important piece of information in choosing a hospital for their families and as a tool to raise questions with their doctors,” said Garth Bowen, co-chair of the Iowa Health Buyers Alliance, which represents health-care consumers and purchasers working together for better health, better health care and better value. 

You can find the grades for more Iowa hospitals here.