North Carolina ranks No. 1 in US for hospital safety

As part of the watchdog group's report, a letter grade was assigned to nearly 3,000 hospitals based on 30 different elements of patient safety. N.C.'s high score came from the prevalence (60%) of N.C. hospitals that scored As.

UNC Hospitals earned a C.

Instances of sepsis after surgery, blood infections and C. diff infections were among the many grading factors the watchdog group used in the report along with communication between staff.

UNC Director of News Alan Wolf issued the following written statement to WRAL News:

"UNC Health is committed to providing the safest care for all of our patients," Wolf wrote. "We are proud of our hospitals that received top 'A' grades from the Leapfrog Group, including UNC Rex, Johnston, Lenoir, Nash and Wayne.

"UNC Rex is the only hospital in North Carolina, and one of only 22 nationally, to receive straight A’s since Leapfrog began its safety report card in 2012.

"No matter the score we receive, A to C, we are always on the quest for continuous improvement. Leapfrog is one of the many metrics we use to gauge our progress and it provides us with valuable information to continually improve quality and patient safety. Across UNC Health, our clinical teams and hospital leaders share best practices and collaborate on ways to further our mission of improving the health of all North Carolinians."

Grades are updated each spring and fall.