Two Northwest Health hospitals were nationally recognized for their excellence in patient care.

Northwest Health in Porter recently received an “A” and Northwest Health in La Porte received a “B” from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog.

The Leapfrog Group assigns letter grades “A” through “F” based on 30 national performance measures related to errors, injuries, accidents and infections. Such errors kill more than 500 patients a day nationally.

“This new update in Hospital Safety Grades means that Northwest Health made a true commitment to put patients first,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, in a press release. “We congratulate the leadership, board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement.”

The Leapfrog Hospital safety grades are based on records of patient safety. The organization collects and analyzes hospital data and evaluates the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. The grades are peer-reviewed and updated annually in the fall and spring. Founded in 2000, The Leapfrog Group’s main mission is to help consumers protect themselves and their families.

“The fall 2023 safety grade of ‘A' once again reflects our ongoing commitment to our patients and serving the communities of Northwest Indiana,” said Dr. James Leonard, interim CEO of Northwest Health-Porter, in the release. “I wish to thank and acknowledge every member of our team for consistently putting quality care first by keeping our patients safe from harm and medical errors.”

Northwest Health provides a network of health care services across the Region. The Northwest Health system includes three hospitals, five emergency departments, urgent care centers, outpatient surgery centers, an ambulance service and physician offices. Northwest Health has a team of more than 3,000 employees and 700 physicians.