Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital Earns Fourth Consecutive Leapfrog Top Rural Hospital Recognition

Photo By Jean Graves | FORT POLK, La. — Leadership from Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital pose with the 2025 Leapfrog Top Rural Hospital Award at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Polk. Pictured from left to right are Lt. Col. Riliwan O. Ottun, deputy commander for administration; Lt. Col. Ralph T. Salazar, deputy commander for quality and safety; Col. Suzanne L. Jones, deputy commander for dental operations; Col. Patrick W. Miller, hospital commander; Command Sgt. Maj. Victor M. Contreras Jr., senior enlisted advisor; Lt. Col. Ashley D. Cesar, deputy commander for clinical services; and Col. Idongesit Ebeute, deputy commander for nursing. BJACH earned the national recognition for the fourth consecutive year, reflecting sustained excellence in patient safety and quality of care. (U.S. Army photo)  

FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, UNITED STATES

01.08.2026

Story by Jean Graves 

Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital

FORT POLK, La. — The Bayne-Jones Army Community Hospital, a military treatment facility, has been named a 2025 Leapfrog Top Rural Hospital, marking the fourth consecutive year the hospital has earned national recognition for excellence in patient safety and quality of care, according to The Leapfrog Group.

The Leapfrog Top Hospital designation is awarded annually to hospitals that demonstrate the highest performance nationwide on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which evaluates key measures such as infection prevention, medication safety, maternity care quality, ethical billing practices, informed patient consent, and surgical safety. To be eligible, hospitals must also earn an “A” grade in the most recent Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

The Leapfrog Top Hospital designation is based on voluntary, publicly reported data, reinforcing transparency as a cornerstone of patient safety and continuous quality improvement.

BJACH was one of 156 hospitals nationwide to earn a 2025 Leapfrog Top Hospital designation. Across the Military Health System, it was one of only 13 military medical treatment facilities recognized with a Leapfrog Top Hospital or Top Ambulatory Surgery Center award this year. BJACH was also among only 16 rural hospitals nationwide to receive the distinction and one of just two hospitals in Louisiana to earn Top Hospital recognition—both in the rural category.

“This recognition reflects the highest standards of patient safety and quality,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It takes leadership, teamwork and absolute dedication to patients to achieve this award.”

For patients and families, the designation signals that BJACH has strong systems in place to prevent medical errors, reduce infections, and deliver safe, high-quality care across inpatient and outpatient services. National studies cited by Leapfrog show that hospitals meeting their highest standards experience significant reductions in preventable harm, including health care-associated infections and serious adverse events.

Col. Patrick W. Miller, hospital commander, said the Top Hospital recognition reflects BJACH’s unwavering commitment to safe, reliable care.

“Patient trust and readiness go hand in hand,” Miller said. “This award affirms the disciplined, team-based approach our staff brings to every patient encounter—holding ourselves to high standards, learning from data, and never losing sight of the people we serve. I’m incredibly proud of this team and the culture they’ve built.”

“Patient safety isn’t abstract to us—it’s personal,” said Alicia Jernigan, a registered nurse and patient safety manager at BJACH. “I come to this work as a nurse first. Data helps us identify risk, but it’s our clinical experience that drives meaningful change. Every metric represents a real person and a real family, and our responsibility is to build systems that support clinicians at the bedside and protect patients when they are most vulnerable.”

The 2025 Leapfrog Top Hospitals were announced Dec. 15 during the 2025 Leapfrog Annual Meeting and Awards Dinner at the Gaylord National Harbor outside Washington, D.C., commemorating Leapfrog’s 25th anniversary and its mission to improve health care safety through transparency. Founded in 2000, The Leapfrog Group is an independent national nonprofit organization that sets standards for health care, safety and quality and publicly reports performance through its annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey, helping patients make informed decisions about where to receive care.

• Date Taken: 01.08.2026
• Date Posted: 01.07.2026 17:20
• Story ID: 555821
• Location: FORT POLK, LOUISIANA, US