Location may matter when it comes to where you get your healthcare, according to the newly releasedHospital Safety Score(SM).Massachusetts,MaineandVermontboast the largest percentage of "A" hospitals inthe United States.Rhode Island,MissouriandOregonfeature the lowest percentage of "A" hospitals. The full state ranking can be seenhere.
The Hospital Safety Score(SM) is an A, B, C, D, or F letter grade reflecting how safe hospitals are for patients and is calculated using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections.
The top ten ranked states for number of "A" scores includeMassachusetts,Maine,Vermont,Illinois,Michigan,Tennessee,Virginia,Delaware,MinnesotaandCalifornia. The lowest-ranked states (lowest percentage of "A's" per total number of hospitals in each state) includeNew York;Washington, D.C.;Connecticut;Wisconsin;West Virginia;Oklahoma;Arkansas;Oregon;MissouriandRhode Island. Unscored hospitals include all hospitals from theState of Marylandwhich the federal government excludes from required public reporting at the national level.
"More than 400* people die every day from hospital errors such as medication mix-ups, accidents and infections," saidLeah Binder, president and CEO, The Leapfrog Group, the independent nonprofit group that created the Hospital Safety Score(SM). "Ultimately, we want all hospitals to get 'A's.' But it is interesting to see that hospitals in some parts of the country seem to be particularly focused on safety. We encourage the people who live in states that fared worse in the Hospital Safety Score to have a conversation with their doctors about the quality of care."
The Hospital Safety Score(SM) website â www.hospitalsafetyscore.org‘allows visitors to search hospital scores for free, and also provides information on how members of the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay. The Hospital Safety Score will be reissued using updated data inNovember 2012, with an annual Hospital Safety Score to follow in 2013 and beyond.
State
Number of Aâ s
Total Number of Hospitals
Percentage of Aâ s Whole
Massachusetts
46
62
74%
Maine
14
20
70%
Vermont
3
6
50%
Illinois
48
108
44%
Michigan
34
78
44%
Tennessee
29
68
43%
Virginia
24
58
41%
Delaware
2
5
40%
Minnesota
17
46
37%
California
95
263
36%
South Carolina
14
39
36%
Florida
55
172
32%
Washington
13
41
32%
New Jersey
23
73
32%
Ohio
31
101
31%
Montana
3
10
30%
Alaska
2
7
29%
Indiana
17
66
26%
Idaho
3
12
25%
New Hampshire
3
12
25%
Wyoming
1
4
25%
Pennsylvania
30
129
23%
Iowa
6
27
22%
Texas
48
216
22%
Louisiana
12
55
22%
Nevada
4
19
21%
Colorado
7
34
21%
Kentucky
10
49
20%
North Carolina
14
70
20%
San Diego
2
10
20%
Arizona
9
47
19%
New Mexico
4
21
19%
Utah
4
21
19%
Mississippi
7
38
18%
Nebraska
3
17
18%
Georgia
13
78
17%
Hawaii
2
12
17%
North Dakota
1
6
17%
Kansas
6
37
16%
Alabama
8
54
15%
New York
22
150
15%
Washington, D.C.
1
7
14%
Connecticut
4
29
14%
Wisconsin
6
45
13%
West Virginia
3
24
13%
Oklahoma
5
42
12%
Arkansas
2
32
6%
Oregon
2
32
6%
Missouri
4
66
6%
Rhode Island
0
10
0%
Maryland*
0
0
0%
*Did not include any Maryland hospitals in total count
For more information about the Hospital Safety Score, please visitwww.hospitalsafetyscore.org.
About The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group (www.leapfroggroup.org) is a national organization using the collective leverage of large purchasers of health care to initiate breakthrough improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for Americans. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey allows purchasers to structure their contracts and purchasing to reward the highest performing hospitals. The Leapfrog Group was founded inNovember 2000with support from the Business Roundtable and national funders, and is now independently operated with support from its purchaser and other members.
*Adverse Events in Hospitals: National Incidence Among Medicare Beneficiaries;Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General;November 2010http://oig.hhs.gov/oei/reports/oei-06-09-00090.pdf
SOURCE The Leapfrog Group WASHINGTON,June 22, 2012/PRNewswire-USNewswire