Ardent Health (NYSE: ARDT), a leading provider of healthcare in growing midsize urban communities across the U.S., today announced that seven of its facilities were named among Top Teaching Hospitals and Top Rural Hospitals in the U.S. 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. Top Hospitals will be honored tonight at the 2024 Leapfrog Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.

“Patient safety and quality care are the highest priorities in each of our hospitals and clinics,” said Ardent Health President and CEO Marty Bonick. “Ardent team members continue to champion advancing quality care in the communities we serve, and being recognized as a Top Hospital is an impressive feat. The teams at each of these facilities should be proud of their work caring for others.”

The seven Ardent facilities receiving the award include:

Top Teaching Hospital

• Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center (Albuquerque, New Mexico)
• Hillcrest Hospital South (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
• Hillcrest Medical Center (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
• Seton Medical Center Harker Heights (Harker Heights, Texas)

Top Rural Hospital

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

Nearly 2,400 hospitals were considered, and 134 Top Hospitals were selected, including:

• 8 Top Children’s
• 36 Top General
• 15 Top Rural
• 75 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 central to The Leapfrog Group’s mission," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "Ardent Health has set the standard for patient safety, earning the prestigious distinction of a Top Hospital. This elite honor reflects the exceptional efforts of the entire team and places Ardent’s hospitals among the nation's best. Congratulations to all who made this remarkable achievement 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 2024 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

Ardent Health (NYSE: ARDT) is a leading provider of healthcare in growing mid-sized urban communities across the U.S. With a focus on people and investments in innovative services and technologies, Ardent is passionate about making healthcare better and easier to access. Through its subsidiaries, the Company delivers care through a system of 30 acute care hospitals and more than 200 sites of care with over 1,800 affiliated providers across six states. For more information, please visit ardenthealth.com.

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