Last week, the Leapfrog Group released its biannual study on hospital safety in this country, breaking down its figures state-by-state. Specifically, the Leapfrog Study compiles the number of hospital patient deaths caused by medical errors (preventable accidents and fatal infections).
The 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades detail 2600+ hospitals in the United States. Each hospital is given a grade ranging from “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” to “F” in the report, which can be searched online by name, address, or grade given, within the individual state results.
Who is Leapfrog? Is This Study Reliable?
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade Report is the only national hospital rating system focused entirely on deaths caused by medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections. It is an independent effort undertaken by The Leapfrog Group.
The Leapfrog Group is a non-profit organization formed by a group of U.S. “leading employers” and private health care experts for the purpose of reducing medical errors and preventable deaths in hospitals. It was created in November 2000 by organizations that include the Business Roundtable and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Their Hospital Safety Grades (1) are reviewed by a National Expert Panel (peer review) and (2) are 100% transparent. As needed, the “graders” are guided by members of the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
The hospitals surveyed by the Group do so for free and on a voluntary basis.
From Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group:
“Health care was an important issue in the 2018 mid-term elections, yet both parties are still neglecting the third leading cause of death in America—errors and infections in hospitals.
“Every elected official, from city councilors, to senators, to the President, should hold hospitals accountable and support efforts to improve patient safety.”
Illinois and Indiana Hospitals Receive “F” Grades in Leapfrog Study
Ten states surveyed in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade findings received “F” grades: California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Carolina.
Illinois (“F”)
There were one-hundred ten (110) Illinois hospitals studied in the 2018 Leapfrog Safety Grade Report. Read the full list and detailed results for each Illinois hospital here.
The following Illinois hospitals are given a failing grade of “F” in the Fall 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade Report:
- Mt. Sinai Hospital, 1500 South Fairfield Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608. At no charge, you can review online both the full Score for Mt. Sinai online as well as the corresponding Detail Tables compiled by the study.
- South Shore Hospital, 8012 S. Crandon Avenue, Chicago, IL 60617-1199. At no charge, you can review online both the full Score for South Shore Hospital online as well as the corresponding Detail Tables compiled by the study.
Indiana (“F”)
There were sixty-two (62) Indiana hospitals studied in the 2018 Leapfrog Safety Grade Report. Read the full list and detailed results for each Indiana hospital here.
The following Indiana hospital received a failing grade of “F” in the Fall 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade Report:
St. Joseph Hospital of Fort Wayne, 700 Broadway, Fort Wayne, IN 46802-1493. At no charge, you can review online both the full Score for St. Joseph Hospital of Fort Wayne online as well as the corresponding Detail Tables compiled by the study.
Indiana and Illinois Hospitals Receiving Leapfrog Grades of “D”
On the Leapfrog Report Cards, several more health care facilities in Illinois and Indiana edged past a failing grade with a “D” on their report cards.
Illinois (“D”)
In Illinois, three hospitals were given a grade of “D” in the 2018 Leapfrog Safety Grade Report. Two of the three are in Chicago.
They are:
- Holy Cross Hospital, 2701 W. 68th Street, Chicago, IL 60629-1882.
- Loretto Hospital, 645 S. Central Avenue, Chicago, IL 60644-9987
- UnityPoint Health – Proctor, 5409 N. Knoxville Avenue, Peoria, IL 61614-5094.2701 W. 68th Street Chicago, IL 60629-1882.
Indiana (“D”)
In Indiana, three hospitals received a grade of “D” in the latest Leapfrog Safety Grade Report. Two of the three are in Indianapolis.
They are:
- Indiana University Health La Porte Hospital, 1007 Lincolnway, La Porte, IN 46350-3201
- Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital, 1701 N. Senate Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46202
- IU Health University Hospital, 550 N. University Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5149.
Medical Errors Are One of the Leading Causes of Death in This Country
As we have discussed before, medical errors are a leading cause of death in the United States. Two years ago, the oft-reported estimate that medical errors were the third leading cause of death in this country was considered to be inaccurate because it may well UNDERESTIMATE the number of patients who die because of medical mistakes.
Read the letter sent to the CDC by a group of physicians, including Martin A. Makary M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., Professor of Surgery and Health Policy & Management of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, which states in part (emphasis added):
We define death due to medical error as death due to 1) an error in judgment, skill, or coordination of care, 2) a diagnostic error, 3) a system defect resulting in death or a failure to rescue a patient from death, or 4) a preventable adverse event. The prevalence of death due to medical error leading to patient deaths has been established in the literature. From studies that analyzed documented health records, we calculated a pooled incidence rate of 251,454 deaths per year.(1)
If we project this quantity into the total number of deaths in the year 2013 (2,596,993 deaths), they would account for 9.7% of all deaths in the nation.(2) This figure far surpasses the current third leading cause of death on the CDC’s most recent rank order. Moreover, the 251,454 estimate we derived from the literature is an underestimate because the studies conducted did not include outpatient deaths or deaths at home due to a medical error.
For the full text and more discussion of this letter and its corresponding medical journal article, read: “National Safety Month: Accidents and Medical Errors Are Killing Too Many People.”
It is important that independent assessments like those of the Leapfrog Group be made of the health care being provided in our hospitals to learn the quality of care being provided.
We must all fight against this shocking reality: too many patients are entrusting themselves to medical providers and in their vulnerability are losing their lives by doing so.
Today, medical malpractice is more likely to cause your wrongful death than a car crash. Medical mistakes are killing people in preventable accidents. Please be careful out there!
