Newport Hospital Improves With 'A' Safety Grade Amid COVID-19 Crisis

NEWPORT, RI — Newport Hospital improved its hospital safety grade from a "B" to an "A", according to the healthcare nonprofit The Leapfrog Group ratings released on Wednesday.

This happened despite the average risk of contracting deadly infections remaining elevated nationwide after spiking to a five-year high during the pandemic, according to the spring 2023 hospital safety grades released Wednesday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog.

Newport Hospital was one of three hospitals in Rhode Island to earn an "A" grade. It was the first time the hospital earned a top score since spring 2021.

"While the height of the pandemic was difficult on hospitals nationwide, the Newport Hospital team continued to deliver the highest levels of safety, commitment and compassion to every patient that entered our front doors," Newport Hospital President Crista Durand said. "I am so proud to work alongside this team every day for the health and well-being of our community."

The Leapfrog Group uses an academic grading scale with five letter grades to score nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide on more than 30 measures of patient safety. Leapfrog says its hospital rating system is the only one in the country focusing solely on a hospital’s ability to protect patients from preventable errors.

In Rhode Island, three hospitals received an A, four hospitals received a B, and two hospitals received a C. No hospitals in Rhode Island received a D or F.

Hospitals that received an A rating included Newport Hospital, The Miriam Hospital in Providence and Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket.

Here are the ratings, according to Leapfrog:

A

• Landmark Medical Center, Woonsocket
• The Miriam Hospital, Providence
• Newport Hospital, Newport.

B

• Kent Hospital, Warwick
• Westerly Hospital, Westerly
• South County Hospital, Wakefield
• Rhode Island Hospital, Providence.

C

• Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, Providence
• Roger Williams Medical Center, Providence.