Highlighting nationally recognized achievements in patient safety and quality, nine Ardent Health Services facilities were named Top General, Rural or Teaching Hospitals by The Leapfrog Group. The Leapfrog Top Hospital award is widely acknowledged as one of the most competitive awards American hospitals can receive. The Top Hospital designation is bestowed by The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers known as the toughest standard-setters for health care safety and quality.

Ardent facilities recognized as 2023 Top Hospitals are as follows:

Top General Hospital

• Tulsa Spine & Specialty Hospital (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
• Seton Medical Center Harker Heights (Harker Heights, Texas)

Top Rural Hospital

• Hillcrest Hospital Cushing (Cushing, Oklahoma)
• Hillcrest Hospital Pryor (Pryor, Oklahoma)
• UT Health Carthage (Carthage, Texas)
• UT Health Pittsburg (Pittsburg, Texas)

Top Teaching Hospital

• Hillcrest Hospital South (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
• UT Health North Campus Tyler (Tyler, Texas)
• Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

“Ardent team members strive each day to deliver the best patient care and experience possible. The nine facilities recognized as Top Hospitals by Leapfrog serve as prime examples of the impact our culture of safety has on the people and communities we serve,” said Ardent President and CEO Marty Bonick. “We are proud of the teams whose hard work and commitment to caring for others made this recognition possible.”

More than 2,100 hospitals were considered for the award. Among those, Ardent facilities received Top General, Rural, and Teaching distinctions. A total of 132 Top Hospitals were selected, including:

• 8 Top Children’s
• 35 Top General
• 15 Top Rural
• 74 Top Teaching

The quality of patient care across many areas of hospital performance is considered in establishing the qualifications for the award, including infection rates, practices for safer surgery, maternity care, and the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors. The rigorous standards are defined in each year’s Top Hospital Methodology.

“Protecting patients from preventable harm is the cornerstone of The Leapfrog Group’s mission,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Ardent’s facilities have demonstrated that patient safety is their top priority, and we’re truly pleased to recognize their Top Hospitals this year. Congratulations to hospital staff at all levels who made this national recognition possible.”

To qualify for the distinction, hospitals must rank top among peers on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which assesses hospital performance on the highest standards for quality and patient safety and achieve top performance in their category. To see the full list of institutions honored as 2023 Top Hospitals, visit www.leapfroggroup.org/tophospitals.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. For more, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn and sign up for our newsletter.

About Ardent Health Services

Ardent Health Services is a leading provider of healthcare in communities across the country. With a focus on consumer-friendly processes and investments in innovative services and technologies, Ardent is passionate about making healthcare better and easier to access. Through its subsidiaries, Ardent owns and operates 30 hospitals and 200+ sites of care with more than 1,700 aligned providers in six states. Learn more at ardenthealth.com.

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