St. Luke’s Hospitals in Boise and Magic Valley are among the best in the nation when it comes to safety and quality, according to The Leapfrog Group.

The hospital watchdog organization recently announced its 2017 Top Hospitals award-winners. It’s given to the highest-performing hospitals in Leapfrog’s Hospital Survey. To determine the top hospitals, Leapfrog looked at performance across many areas of hospital care at close to 1,900 hospitals. Those include preventing infections, reducing C-sections, the hospital’s capacity to prevent medication errors, and leadership policies and practices.

A total of 109 Top Hospitals were recognized. St. Luke’s had the only two in Idaho. The only other neighboring states included were Washington and Utah, with one hospital honored in each state. St. Luke’s hospitals stood out in two categories:

• St. Luke's Magic Valley Medical Center - 2017 Leapfrog Top Rural Hospital
• St. Luke's Boise Medical Center - 2017 Leapfrog Top General Hospital

“This recognition is a distinction achieved only by an elite group of hospitals that meet the nation’s toughest standards,” said Jodi Vanderpool, St. Luke’s vice president of quality operations.

“I am so proud of the intentional and consistent commitment that our staff, providers, boards and committees have on ensuring the safety and the quality for those we serve,” Vanderpool said.

“We are proud to recognize St. Luke’s. This demonstrates extraordinary dedication to patients and the local community. The entire staff and board deserve praise for putting quality first and achieving results,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog.

To qualify for the Top Hospitals distinction, hospitals must submit a Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Data from the 1,900 hospitals is gathered, then evaluated based on national standards for patient safety, quality and efficiency. The data collected also enables hospitals like St. Luke’s to benchmark their progress.

“We continue to make great progress on our journey towards zero harm and continual excellence,” said Vanderpool. “By participating in these public surveys, we challenge ourselves to look at new opportunities, and to ensure we incorporate best practices.”