NORTH ALABAMA (WHNT) — Hospitals across the country are reviewing their recently received “safety grades” in a report intended to reveal the safety of each facility, including those in the Tennessee Valley.

The Leapfrog Group (TLG), an independent national watchdog organization, gives an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” to general hospitals across America. Scores are based on over 30 performance measures that reflect errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as other systems hospitals have in place in order to prevent harm.

Here’s how some healthcare facilities in North Alabama and southern middle Tennessee scored:

“B” Hospitals:

• Crestwood Medical Center, Huntsville
• Lincoln Medical Center, Fayetteville, TN

“C” Hospitals:

• Huntsville Hospital
• Madison Hospital
• Athens-Limestone Hospital
• Decatur-Morgan Hospital, Decatur Campus
• Decatur-Morgan Hospital, Parkway Campus
• Cullman Regional Medical Center
• Southern Tennessee Regional Health Systems, Pulaski, TN

“D” Hospitals:

• Marshall Medical Center North, Guntersville
• Highlands Medical Center, Scottsboro

There are five patient experiences hospitals are graded on, among the over 30 measures used to generate the final score for each health facility. Those five experiences, including nurse communication, doctor communication, staff responsiveness, communication about medicine and discharge information, all have a direct effect on patient safety, according to TLG.

All five of those measures declined across the country declined when compared to the numbers before the pandemic hit.

“Compared to the 2021 spring Hospital Safety Grade report covering 2019,” experts said, “the spring 2023 Hospital Safety Grade results, covering data from 2021 and 2022, found the most significant declines in communication about medicine (4.28% decline) and staff responsiveness (3.46% decline).”

Only 29% of hospitals across the nation received an “A” rating, 26% received a “B,” 39% received a “C,” 6% received a “D,” and less than 1% received an “F.”

Where were the best hospitals? According to TLG, the top ten states with the highest percentages of “A” were located in New Jersey, Idaho, Utah, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, Virginia and Massachusetts.

You can learn more about the safety grade of hospitals in the U.S. by visiting the TLG’s website here.