NORTH KANSAS CITY — North Kansas City Hospital earned an “A” hospital safety grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit focused on patient safety. This mark of distinction comes from the only hospital ratings program exclusively focused on addressing preventable medical errors, infections and injuries, according to a hospital press release.

“Earning an ‘A’ grade reflects our dedication to preventing harm and putting our patients’ care first —every single day,” said Kerri Jenkins MD, NKCH senior vice President and chief operating officer. “It serves as a reminder that we are making measurable improvements that not only impact our patients’ care, but our community.”

North Kansas City Hospital achieved the standard in several categories including billing ethics, health care equity, nursing and bedside care for patients and nursing care for patients.

Other areas include maternity care where the hospital achieved the standard in C-sections, screening newborns for jaundice before discharge and preventing blood clots in women undergoing C-sections.

In the category of complex adult surgery, achieved the standard levels in open aortic procedures, bariatric surgery for weight loss as well as total knee and hip replacements. There are also outpatient surgery categories.

Nearly 3,000 U.S. hospitals receive Leapfrog grades, which are updated twice annually. Grades are determined by 30 measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Leapfrog Hospital survey and information from other supplemental data sources. Performance measures include errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the system’s patient experience scores.

To view North Kansas City Hospital’s full grade details, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.