By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Shelby Baptist Medical Center has again earned the top grade for patient safety from a national nonprofit organization, the hospital announced in early May.

The Leapfrog Group, which annually grades hospitals on their patient safety performance, awarded SBMC a grade of A for the spring of 2018. When determining the scores, The Leapfrog Group’s nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel uses 26 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to produce a single score representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from infections, injuries and medical and medication errors, according to the group.

The Leapfrog Group assigns “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” and “F” letter grades to hospitals nationwide and provides a complete picture of patient safety in the U.S.

“With our high standard of safety and commitment to quality care at Shelby Baptist Medical Center, we are so proud to achieve this distinguished award,” Brookwood Baptist Health Chief Executive Officer Keith Parrott wrote in a statement. “This designation is a testament to our patients that we are providing them with the highest level of safety and care every day when they come into our hospital.”

“Hospitals like these that earn an A have demonstrated their commitment to their patients and their community,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, wrote in a statement. “I congratulate Shelby Baptist Medical Center for their safety excellence, and look forward to the day when all hospitals will match this standard.”

Over the past several years, SBMC has earned multiple top grades and accolades from The Leapfrog Group, including being named a “Top performer on key quality measures,” and earning previous top grades for patient safety.

To see Shelby Baptist Medical Center’s scores as they compare nationally and locally, visit the Hospital Safety Score website at Hospitalsafetyscore.org, which also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay.