Christus Mother Frances Hospital Tyler President Jason Proctor speaks in November 2020 during a groundbreaking ceremony for a clinic in Chandler on Texas 31 East.

A number of East Texas hospitals received positive grades in safety ratings recently published by The Leapfrog Group.

Of nine East Texas hospitals, three received an A rating, five received a B and one received a C. The Leapfrog Group’s twice-a-year hospital grades are centered on preventing safety hazards in medical facilities.

For more than 20 years, the independent national watchdog organization has collected, analyzed and published hospital data relating to safety to continue moving the health care industry forward, according to the Leapfrog website.

Grades of A, B, C, D or F are assigned to hospitals based on more than 30 national performance measures that reflect errors, accidents, injuries and infections and preventive measures in place. Grades are given in the spring and fall.

The five major grading categories include infections; problems with surgery; safety problems; practices to prevent errors; and doctors, nurses and hospital staff.

UT Health North Campus Tyler received another A rating, something CEO Vicki Briggs said the hospital has continued to work hard for.

“This is the eighth consecutive A rating for UT Health North Campus Tyler, which is an incredible accomplishment,” Briggs said. “This recognition underscores our commitment to patient safety and excellence for the community we serve.”

The UT Health North Campus also was recently named a Top Teaching Hospital nationally by Leapfrog. With more than 2,200 hospitals considered for this honor, it is acknowledged as one of the most competitive awards American hospitals can receive.

The hospital is “uniquely positioned not only as a hospital, but also has a strong focus on medical education and research,” Briggs said. “As a result, the culture is one that consistently focuses on improving outcomes and the overall health of the population. The presence of clinical and research faculty provides an academic foundation that drives excellence among everyone.”

Longview Regional Medical Center CEO Steve Gordon said receiving an A safety grade is a “tremendous achievement.” It shows the hospital’s commitment to the safety and care of those they serve, he said.

“We strive for excellence and compassionate care in everything we do,” Gordon said. “Our daily focus on evidence based practice and patient centric care supports our delivery of high quality and efficient care to all of our patients.”

Christus Mother Frances Hospital Tyler President Jason Proctor said his team is proud of its A rating this grading period.

“Every member of our clinical and service teams is dedicated to excellence and to the safety of every patient who depends on us for their care,” Proctor said. “This award is an honor for us all because it recognizes the efforts of all our Associates and providers, but most importantly it reinforces that trust that our patients and this community have in us to provide health care at the highest levels.”

The healthcare system is still feeling the “strain” of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Leah Binder, Leapfrog president and CEO. The group is thankful for hospitals with a workforce and leadership who continue to show commitment to patient safety.

“An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm,” Binder said.

Christus Good Shepherd Health System Longview received a B grade this time around. Dr. Suhel Patel, the Chief Medical Officer of Christus Good Shepherd Health System, said the hospital is dedicated to serving the patients and aims for continuous improvement.

“Our physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, clinicians and all our associates are committed to our mission, to the safety of every patient, and to continuous improvement in our quest for zero harm and excellence in every aspect of our care,” Patel said. “Each member of our team is dedicated to providing the best, safest, highest quality care possible to the communities we serve in Northeast Texas.”

Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center — Longview

Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center Longview received a B grade, down from the A it got in the fall.

The hospital received the best scores in the safety problems category with an above average score in six of the seven subcategories. Of these, Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center — Longview matched the best hospital’s score in one area.

It scored lower in half the staff subcategories, including communication with doctors and nurses and responsiveness of hospital staff.

Longview Regional Medical Center

The hospital received an A grade, up from the B it received during the previous two grading periods.

Longview Regional scored above average in all seven areas of the safety problems category. It matched the best hospital’s score in one of these areas.

The hospital also did well in the infections and staff categories.

Christus Mother Frances Hospital Tyler

Christus Mother Frances Hospital Tyler improved on its B rating from the past four grading periods with an A.

The hospital scored above average in three categories, including error prevention, staff and surgery problems. It also matched the best hospital’s score in two other subcategories.

UT Health — Tyler

UT Health — Tyler received a B, down from its A the last three grading periods.

The hospital scored highest in the surgery problems category. It also had above average scores in most of the infection and safety problems categories.

The hospital received below average scores in three of six subcategories.

UT Health North Campus Tyler

The UT Health North Campus in Tyler received another A and has since it was first graded in 2018.

The hospital ranked highest in the error prevention, staff and infection categories. UT Health North campus matched the best hospital’s score in nine subcategories.

UT Health — Henderson

The hospital received a B rating, down from its A last fall.

UT Health — Henderson scored highest in the safety problems and error prevention categories, receiving above average scores in all but two subcategories of each. The hospital scored below average in two subcategories of each grading area.

UT Health — Jacksonville

UT Health — Jacksonville received a C, down from its B received in the fall.

The hospital performed best in two categories, one of which being the surgery problems where it received an above average rating in five of six areas. It also did well with error prevention.

UT Health — Jacksonville received its lowest score in the staff category, below average in having enough qualified nurses and specially trained ICU doctors, communication with nurses and responsiveness of staff.

UT Health — Athens

UT Health — Athens received a B, the same grade received the last three grading periods.

The hospital received above average scores in all areas of error prevention. It received the best possible score in four of these subcategories.

UT Health — Athens also did well in the infections and safety problems categories. It lacked enough qualified nurses and specially trained ICU doctors, according to Leapfrog.

Christus Good Shepherd Medical Center — Marshall

Christus Good Shepherd Center — Marshall earned a B after receiving an A last fall.

The hospital received its best score in the safety problems category, getting an above average score in six of the seven areas.

It also did well in the problems with surgery category, being above average in five of the seven subcategories. Of these, Christus Good Shepherd Center — Marshall received one score equal to the best hospital’s score.

It scored below average in some of the infection, staff and error prevention categories.

For information about each hospital’s grade, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org .