Here's a true but scary statement: Not all hospitals are created equal.
According to the nonprofit agency The Leapfrog Group, nearly 400 people die every day due to preventable hospital error. In an effort to make improvements and make hospitals more accountable, over 2,600 thousand of them will now receive a letter grade of A, B, C, D, or F in a Hospital Safety Score. Among other standards, hospitals will chiefly be judged on its level of patient safety.
The Hospital Safety Score was put together by The Leapfrog Group with the help of a Blue Ribbon Panel of health and safety experts.
"The Leapfrog Group's goal is to give patients the vital information they need and deserve before even entering a hospital," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "We hope people will use this score to talk with their doctor, make informed decisions about where to seek care, and take the right precautions during a hospital stay."
The Leapfrog Group says the national grading system is the first of its kind for hospitals, and it will highlight America's best hospitals and point out the worst ones.
The nonprofit group also says that one in four Medicare patients will exit a hospital with a potentially fatal condition they didn't have prior to being hospitalized. In addition, over 180,000 Americans die each year from hospital accidents, errors and infections, according to Leapfrog.
Safety score
So that patients and their families can feel better and more educated on a particular hospital, Leapfrog has put together the Hospital Safety Score website.
Visitors can look up hospital scores for free, and read information on how to keep themselves and family members safe. Visitors can also access additional information from Leapfrog's sister site, on how to ensure safety in any hospital across the U.S.
Here are some of The Leapfrog Group's key hospital findings:
- Of the 2,652 general hospitals issued a Hospital Safety Score, 729 earned an "A," 679 earned a "B," and 1243 earned a "C" or below.
- Hospitals earning an "A" include academic medical centers Massachusetts General, NYU Langone Medical Center, and University of California San Francisco. Many rural hospitals earned an "A," including Grinnell Regional Medical Center in Iowa and Baptist Health South Florida Homestead Hospital in Florida.
- Hospitals with myriad national accolades, such as Mayo Clinic, Virginia Mason Medical Center, and University of Michigan Medical Center, each earned an "A."
- Less predictable were the "A" scores earned by hospitals serving highly vulnerable, impoverished, and/or health-challenged populations, such as Bellevue Hospital, Montefiore Hospital, and Detroit Receiving Hospital.
- "A" scores were awarded to for-profit hospitals including many in the HCA systems, as well as hundreds of not-for-profit and public hospitals.
- Community hospitals showed excellence as well, such as OSF St. Joseph Medical Center in Illinois.
"Developing the Hospital Safety Score was an intensive nine-month process led by a group of patient safety experts from across the country, and we believe it resulted in a fair metric to assess a hospital's performance on patient safety," said Dr. Jha.
"There is an overwhelming amount of information out there that could be useful when we are admitted to the hospital, but very few of us know what it is or where to find it. Everyone deserves the same information to protect their families. We've been glad to guide The Leapfrog Group in developing the Hospital Safety Score to give the public a way to guide their own decisions," he said.
---
For more consumer news, visit ConsumerAffairs.com.
Johnson: Don't Blame Islam or UK Policy
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Raw: Heckler Interrupts Obama on Guantanamo
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Obama Offers Drone Strike Defense
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Raw: Scuffles in London After Hacking Death
Chain-Reaction School Bus Crash Injures About 50
Boy Scouts Mom Supports Gay Inclusiveness
Raw: 80-Year-Old Climbs Mount Everest
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
Wash. State Man Arrested Following Ricin Scare
Oklahoma Family Reflects on Lost Son
Britain Attack Believed Linked to Radical Islam
Raw: Aftermath of Deadly Attack in London
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Texas Students Coach Teachers on Fitness
AK-47-wielding thug may be the most bumbling crook ever
Oklahoma Survivors, Heroes Survey Damage
Trout's cycle a boost for Angels
Raw: New Video of Deadly Oklahoma Tornado
Kim Kardashian Flaunts Pregnant Bikini Body in Greece
NBA star pledges $1M to help tornado recovery
Shakira's Shocking Talent
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
GRAPHIC: Blood-Soaked Machete Killer Caught on Tape
Elin Nordegren Furious With Lindsey Vonn For Parading Kids in Public
Camera Captures Climber As He Loses Grip And Falls
Helen Mirren Meets with Dying Boy in Queen Elizabeth's Place
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
