All nine eligible Mayo Clinic hospitals earned A grades from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit organization that provides safety ratings. The ratings are intended to help patients choose their preferred healthcare destinations.

"Our staff's dedication consistently reinforces Mayo Clinic as the global authority in healthcare because they deliver the highest quality, safety and experience," says Sean Dowdy, M.D., Mayo Clinic's chief value officer. "Participating in the external review also helps validate staff commitment to continuously improve our Culture of Safety along with our desire to influence industry standards for safety."

Mayo Clinic hospitals that received an A grade are:

• Mayo Clinic in Arizona

• Mayo Clinic in Florida

• Mayo Clinic in Rochester

• Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea and Austin, Minnesota

• Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

• Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont, Minnesota

• Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin

• Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato, Minnesota

• Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing, Minnesota

The Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Score is updated and published twice each year. The score is based on 15 measures of publicly available hospital safety data and 12 self-reported survey answers, which are combined to produce a single safety score. A panel of patient safety experts developed the measures for the score.