SIDNEY — The Leapfrog Group, a national patient-safety watch dog which assigns A, B, C, D and F letter grades to hospitals nationwide, recently announced its new Hospital Safety Scores

Wilson Health’s Wilson Memorial Hospital was one of 798 hospitals to receive an A, ranking among the safest hospitals in the U.S.

“We are very proud of our A grade,” said Sue Neumann, director of quality and risk management at Wilson Health. “Providing effective, safe patient care is central to everything we do. We are continually collecting and reporting patient safety information to measure our progress and set goals. Our A grade is a direct reflection of our continued dedication to our patients.”

“Avoidable deaths in hospitals should be the number one concern of our health care leaders. Hospitals that earn an A from Leapfrog are leaders in saving lives, and we commend them and urge their continued vigilance,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group.

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s Blue Ribbon Expert Panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 30 measures of publicly available, hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score includes five measures of patient-reported experience with the hospital as well as with two of the most common infections. To see the full score, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients and loved ones visiting the hospital, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.