St. Alexius Medical Center has received an award for its patient safety for the third year in a row.

"I can't think of anything more important that we come in contact with than patient safety," President and CEO Andy Wilson said.

The Distinguished Hospital Award for Patient Safety from HealthGrades ranks St. Alexius in the top 15 percent of hospitals analyzed. In the analysis of 40 million medicare patients, 5,100 hospitals were ranked on patient safety.

Patient safety was determined from 13 indicators, including death and 12 types of infections. The number of incidences are counted to judge patient safety instead of the types of patient safety programs.

"(HealthGrades) looks at frequency and causes of errors," said Dr. Shiraz Hyder, vice president of medical affairs.

HealthGrades is a health care rating company in Lakewood, Colo.

The types of infections and deaths looked at in the study are considered preventable because it is caused by something the hospital does in its patient care. A patient at a Distinguished Hospital Award facility is 43 percent less likely to receive a preventable infection or die.

Hand washing, skilled surgeons and attentive staff can prevent infections, surgical errors and falls that cause injury.

At St. Alexius, some of the ways they attempt to keep infections and injury down include the staff assessing a patient's risk of falling and the prevalence of hand washing between patients. The hospital also is starting a pill dispensing program that uses a computer to scan how much and when a medication is given to a patient.

"(Patient Safety) requires significant engagement from staff and employees," said Doug Bradford, chairman of the patient safety committee.

St. Alexius received the award in 2005 and 2004.