A group dedicated to grading hospitals on overall performance and patient safety says not all hospitals in Iowa and Illinois make the grade.
The Leapfrog Group says it uses a nine-member panel of “patient safety experts” to create its “Hospital Safety Score“, which grades hospitals for patient safety based on 26 criteria. Their reports are supported by employers and other health care purchasers.
The report grades are based on patient injuries, medication errors, infection, and whether the hospitals follow safety procedures.
“Overall, we recommend going to hospitals that receive an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Score. If your local hospital rates below an ‘A’, we encourage you to talk with your doctor at that hospital and urge them to improve their safety protocols,” said the group’s website.
It’s worth noting that an “A” is not an indication of a perfect score.
University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City was among those in Iowa receiving a C grade. The Des Moines Register reports the hospital disputes the findings because the data used is more than a year old and does not account for the type of patients, such as high-risk cases, the hospital accepts.
In our area:
In Illinois, the group gave a B to Trinity Medical Center in Rock Island, a C to Katherine Shaw Bethea Hospital in Dixon, an A to CGH Medical Center in Sterling, an A to OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg and an A to Genesis Medical Center Illini Campus in Silvis.
In Iowa, the group gave an A to Unity Hospital in Muscatine, a B to Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, a B to Mercy Medical Center of Dubuque, an A to Trinity Medical Center at Terrace Park in Bettendorf and a C to Finley Hospital in Dubuque.
Check scores for more Iowa hospitals at this link: http://hospitalsafetyscore.org/search-result.html?hospital=&city=&state_prov=IA&agree=agree
Check scores for more Illinois hospitals at this link: http://hospitalsafetyscore.org/search-result.html?hospital=&city=&state_prov=IL&agree=agree
