FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): A Fort Wayne hospital got an “F” on the latest version of a national hospital safety study.

The Leapfrog Group issued the study on November 8th on factors like accidents, injuries, preventable errors and infections. St. Joseph Hospital in Fort Wayne was the only Indiana hospital to get an “F,” after getting a “D” grade on the last three releases of the study.

Read the full study here, and see where other area hospitals rank here.

Lutheran Health Network spokesman Geoffrey Thomas issued the following statement:

“Every element Leapfrog uses to assign its safety grades is an area of constant focus for our hospitals, regardless of whether they accepted or declined the invitation to voluntarily submit information for this most recent survey.  While we’re encouraged with the progress that’s being made network-wide in key quality measures, opportunities still exist and we’re committed to a culture of continuous improvement.”

“We’re very disappointed with the grade St. Joe was given, but understand that some of the data analyzed for this report dates back several years and may not reflect recent progress.”

“For example, during 2018, the hospital has had:

• zero incidents of MRSA
• zero incidents of bloodstream infections for patients with a central line
• zero incidents of catheter-associated urinary tract infections
• zero incidents of surgical site infections from colon surgery
• zero wounds associated with the rupture of a surgical incision
• zero serious breathing problems after surgery for patients with respiratory failure
• zero accidental punctures or lacerations to the abdomen or pelvic area per 1000 patient discharges
• zero incidents of pneumothorax per 1000 patient discharges
• zero incidents of an air or gas embolism per 100 patient discharges”

“Our physicians, nurses and team members take every opportunity to further enhance quality of care and experience for our patients.  In January, St. Joe became the first hospital in Indiana to achieve American College of Cardiology Cardiac Cath Lab Accreditation with Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.  Within the last few weeks, its transitional care unit was also recognized by U.S. News & World Report as high performing for short-stay rehabilitation care; an accolade earned by only 16 percent of locations across the country to offer this type of service.  Tracking quality data, daily attention to process improvement, and collaboration between our employees and medical staffs support these efforts.”