Dismal grades for local hospitals in 2019 Hospital Safety Report
For several years now, the Leapfrog Group has published its Hospital Safety Grade Report, offered online for free as a public service. The latest 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade Report can be reviewed online here (“Hospital Report”).
The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the “quality, safety, and transparency in the U.S. health system,” with a goal of “saving lives by reducing errors, injuries, accidents, and infection” and heralds its Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade project as the “gold standard measure of patient safety, cited in MSNBC, The New York Times, and AARP The Magazine.”
Its Hospital Report has been compiled by the Leapfrog Group in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality, ranking hospitals across the country according to the number of patient deaths due to (1) errors, (2) accidents, (3) injuries, and (4) infections as “A”, “B”, “C”, “D,” and “F” hospitals.
Explains Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group:
“Hospitals don’t all have the same track record, so it really matters which hospital people choose, which is the purpose of our Hospital Safety Grade.”
The Dangers Facing Hospital Patients Today: Preventable Hospital Errors
As part of its research and analysis, the Hospital Report explains why there is such a need to delve into patient safety data in this country and the reality of preventable hospital errors causing so much harm, often with fatal results.
According to their findings:
- Every year, 1 out of every 25 patients develops an avoidable infection while in the hospital;
- A Medicare patient has a 1 in 4 chance of experiencing injury, harm, or death when admitted to a hospital; and
- Every day, over 1000 people die because of a preventable hospital error.
Of note, not all hospitals are included in their study. Excluded from The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade Report are:
- Critical access hospitals;
- Specialty hospitals, such as children’s hospitals or cancer hospitals;
- Government hospitals, such as VA and military hospitals;
- Long-term care facilities, rehab facilities and ambulatory care centers;
- Hospitals for which there isn’t enough publicly reported data; and
- Hospitals in U.S. territories such as Guam and Puerto Rico.
Illinois and Indiana in the 2019 Hospital Safety Report
It is shocking enough to learn that again this year, neither Illinois nor Indiana land in the top ten of the 2019 Hospital Safety Report. For how things fared in 2018, read our discussion in “Indiana and Illinois Hospitals Get Failing Grades in 2018 Safety Report.”
However, it is even more worrisome to find that an overwhelming number of Indiana hospitals did not pass with an “A” safety rating (over 80%) and that the majority of Illinois hospitals likewise failed to receive an “A” for patient safety in 2019 (over 60%).
Indiana Hospitals: 82% Less Than “A” Patient Safety Rating
Indiana ranks 36th in the country, with 18.33% of its hospitals receiving a grade of “A” as compared to the total number of graded hospitals in the state.
This means 81.7% of Indiana hospitals did NOT get an “A” rating in patient safety.
Illinois: 62% Less Than “A” Patient Safety Rating
Illinois ranks 14th in the country, with 38.18% of its hospitals receiving a grade of “A” as compared to the total number of graded hospitals in the state.
This means 61.8% of Illinois hospitals did NOT get an “A” rating in patient safety.
Within the latest findings, hospitals are graded from “A” (best) to “F” (worst) and while fewer hospitals in our part of the country received an “A” than should have, there were more that achieved grades of “B” or “C” in both states than in past years.
The more serious concern comes when the hospital receives a grade of “D” or “F” in the Report. As explained by the Leapfrog Group when its Report was released, patients at “D” and “F” hospitals face a 92% greater risk of avoidable death.
That’s almost double the risk of death as someone who is admitted into a hospital with an “A” safety rating.
Illinois Hospitals Having a “D” Rating in the 2019 Patient Safety Report
The following Illinois Hospitals received a “D” Rating; no Illinois Hospital got an “F” rating in 2019:
- Jackson Park Hospital; Chicago, Illinois;
- Weiss Memorial Hospital; Chicago, Illinois;
- John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital; Chicago, Illinois;
- Sinai Hospital; Chicago, Illinois; and
- Loretto Hospital; Chicago, Illinois.
To review the 2019 Illinois State Report results, go here.
Indiana Hospitals Having a “D” Rating in the 2019 Patient Safety Report
The following Indiana Hospitals received a “D” Rating; no Indiana Hospital got an “F” rating in 2019:
- Joseph Hospital of Fort Wayne; Fort Wayne, Indiana; and
- La Porte Hospital; La Porte, Indiana.
To review the 2019 Indiana State Report results, go here.
Patient Safety and Preventable Hospital Errors in Illinois and Indiana
As discussed in our previous post, hospitals can be held legally liable for medical errors that harm or cause the death of those entrusted to their care just as nursing homes and physicians can face legal responsibility for their malpractice, neglect, and mistakes.
As the Leapfrog Group reminds us, “most hospital errors can be prevented.” For institutions that focus upon keeping patients safe from harm, there will be much greater care and less likelihood that the hospital will find itself facing charges of malpractice and legal liability for patient injury or death.
Unfortunately, this 2019 Hospital Report demonstrates that today’s health care system is still a long way from providing the type of safe and quality medical care that our loved ones deserve.
It also reveals that hospitals in Illinois and Indiana can range widely in their quality of care, even when the hospitals are in the same town (for instance, consider the range of hospital grades within the city of Chicago alone).
State laws in Indiana and Illinois provide victims of hospital errors with avenues for justice when preventable medical mistakes or malpractice have harmed or caused the death of a hospital patient. The hospital itself, as well as other health care providers and other third parties, may share legal liability for what has occurred.
Remember, if you or a loved one suspect there is a problem and a hospitalized patient is in danger, it is important for you to speak up immediately and actively get help for that person. Hospitals in Indiana and Illinois make mistakes that hurt patients, sometimes fatally. Please be careful out there!
