CHI Memorial Earns Elite 'Straight A’ Designation from The Leapfrog Group

CHATTANOOGA, TN (May 2, 2025) – CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga and Hospital Hixson each earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog. The Chattanooga campus has received straight “A” ratings since 2020 (10 consecutive ratings), and the Hixson campus has received straight “A” ratings since 2022 (seven consecutive ratings).  

CHI Memorial is the only local health system to receive “A” ratings this reporting period. This accomplishment places CHI Memorial among the top 32 percent of hospitals nationwide and one of only 27 in Tennessee. 

“Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do.  This recognition reflects our relentless focus on creating a safe and healing environment for every patient who walks through our doors”, said Janelle Reilly, CHI Memorial market president.  “It's a direct result of the hard work and dedication of our entire team, who are committed to providing compassionate, patient-centered care that prioritizes the patients’ well-being above all else."

Both CHI Memorial Hospital Chattanooga and Hospital Hixson received the "Straight A" designation because of the consistent “A” Safety Grades for at least five consecutive cycles of the Hospital Safety Grade. 

Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries, and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.  

“Achieving an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade is a significant accomplishment for CHI Memorial,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It reflects enormous dedication to your patients and their families, and your whole community should be proud. I extend my congratulations to CHI Memorial, its leadership, clinicians, staff, and volunteers for their tireless efforts to put patients first.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade stands as the only hospital ratings program focused solely on preventable medical errors, infections, and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day in the United States. This program is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Grades are updated twice a year. 

To see CHI Memorial’s full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org. 

About CHI Memorial

CHI Memorial is a not-for-profit, faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to the healing ministry of the Church. Founded by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth and strengthened as part of CommonSpirit Health, it offers a continuum of care including preventative, primary and acute hospital care, as well as cancer, cardiac, neuroscience, and stroke care, and orthopedic and rehabilitation services. CHI Memorial is a regional referral center of choice with 4,700 employees and almost 500 affiliated physicians providing health care throughout Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia. To learn more, visit www.commonspirit.org/memorial

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 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 them on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram and sign up for their newsletter.