JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s a staggering statistic. According to the independent non-profit organization “The Leapfrog Group,” at least 180,000 patients are killed every year from errors, accidents, injuries, and infections in American hospitals.
So now, they’re being held accountable. Leapfrog has released report cards grading hospital safety and Action News is breaking down the information.
Here in the River City, hospital grades spanned from A’s to C’s.
The hospitals that received an “A” include: Shands Jacksonville, Baptist Medical Center, Orange Park Medical Center, Baptist Medical Center South, and the Mayo Clinic.
The hospitals that received a “B” include: St. Vincent’s Medical Center Riverside, Baptist Medical Center Nassau, and Memorial Hospital Jacksonville.
The hospitals that received a “C” include: Flagler Hospital and St. Vincent’s Medical Center Southside.
Being a top-scorer is something the Mayo Clinic says it takes quite seriously.
"It’s more than a score. It's more than a test. It really makes you look at what you do, and examine what you do, to see if you're doing the right things,” said Mayo Clinic’s Quality Oversight Committee Chairman J. West Paul.
We dug deeper into the report cards of the two local hospitals that earned a score of a “C.”
According to Leapfrog’s data, St. Vincent’s Medical Center Southside had a higher than average number of deaths from serious treatable complications after surgery. The report found that Flagler Hospital had a higher than average number of falls and trauma.
In response to the report card, Flagler Hospital sent us this statement:
“Reports of this nature should always be viewed as one snapshot or measure of care, and should by no means be considered the only source of information. Flagler Hospital has earned national accreditations for meeting the highest of standards of care in areas such as chest pain, stroke, joint replacement, cancer care and nursing care- to name a few- in addition to being named a top performer for patient safety by other national ratings agencies. There are many consumer reports available that can paint a different picture of the strengths and weaknesses of a hospital, depending on the measures selected or how the measures are aggregated into a composite score. We encourage patients to be informed and seek information from numerous sources, including their doctor, before choosing a hospital. Patient safety and quality improvement are central to the mission of Flagler Hospital and we are proud of our quality record.”
Moody Chisholm, President and CEO of St. Vincent’s HealthCare sent us this statement:
“St. Vincent’s HealthCare is widely recognized throughout the region for delivering high quality care. In fact, St. Vincent’s HealthCare’s Medicare hospital acquired condition rate, which includes infections or injuries that occur inside the hospital, is 60 percent better than the national average. Every day, our dedicated team of physicians, nurses and associates put our patients first by delivering quality, compassionate care. We applaud the Leapfrog Group’s efforts, and we are confident our scores will continue to improve as Leapfrog data files better reflect our performance, and as we better understand their information needs. Using Leapfrog, and other quality improvement organizations such as the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, we are committed to improving the care, safety and experience of our patients, their loved ones and the communities we serve.”
You can read the
Hospital Safety Score online.
