Only 1 metro-east hospital earned an ‘A’ for safety this spring. What to know
OSF Saint Anthony’s Health Center in Alton earned its fifth consecutive “A” safety grade from The Leapfrog Group, standing out in a region where most hospitals went ungraded this cycle.
The national nonprofit released its spring 2026 hospital safety grades May 6, but several metro-east facilities were marked “Grade Not Assigned” after declining to participate in Leapfrog’s voluntary survey.
FULL STORY: Why some Belleville-area hospitals are missing from new safety reports
Here are key takeaways:
- OSF Saint Anthony’s in Alton received its fifth consecutive “A” grade, placing it among the top-rated hospitals nationally for patient safety.
- “Earning five consecutive ‘A’ grades highlights the hospital’s unwavering commitment to patient safety,” interim president Lisa Schepers said in a May 6 press release.
- OSF Healthcare manager of quality and safety Melissa Poletti wrote in an emailed statement to the News-Democrat the hospital participates in the survey to “demonstrate transparency, benchmark quality and drive patient safety improvements.”
- The hospital scored above average overall but received below-average marks in a few categories, including blood leakage, kidney injury after surgery and harmful events.
- Nationally, graded hospitals improved in 17 measures, with MRSA infections down 42% since fall 2022 and C. diff infections down 30%, according to Leapfrog.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
Meredith Howard
Belleville News-Democrat