The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit, has created a Hospital Safety Score for more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals. See how local hospitals measured up.
Local hospitals got a report card for patient safety, thanks to a national nonprofit.
The Leapfrog Group has created a Hospital Safety Score for more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals, based on public data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors and infections, according to the nonprofit’s website.
Lehigh Valley Hospital in Cedar Crest and Muhlenberg, and Hunterdon Medical Center earned As, while Warren Hospital and St. Luke’s Hospital in Fountain Hill earned Bs. Easton Hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital and Hackettstown Regional Medical Center earned Cs.
The nonprofit’s panel of experts uses data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the nonprofit’s annual hospital survey to come up with the scores.
Dr. Anthony Ardire, senior vice president for quality and patient safety at Lehigh Valley Health Network, said the score reflects the network’s commitment to its patients. He said the hospital has spent resources to deal with issues that require new technology. The hospital has the will to do the right thing and the teamwork it takes to do it, he said.
“It’s that will to do it always,” Ardire said. “Always has become an important word in healthcare.”
Ardire said transparency is also crucial to the hospital’s success in developing and sustaining improvement. The network posts rates of different infections, bed sores and patient satisfaction on its patient floors where visitors, patients and staff can view it, he said.
Even with an ‘A,’ the network is hoping to score higher in the future, Ardire said.
“It’s a continuous improvement,” he said. “We’d like our score to be a 4.0 and not a 3.6.”
Kimberly Golden Benner, Easton Hospital’s director of marketing, said in a statement that the hospital’s Leapfrog score is based on incomplete information. The hospital stopped participating in the group’s lengthy online survey when the government began requiring more information be provided to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, according to the statement.
“We continue to take every opportunity to further increase quality and service,” Golden Benner said in the statement. “Tracking quality data, daily attention to process improvement and collaboration between our employees and the medical staff support the delivery of quality care and our improvements over time.”
Stephanie Dougherty, director of patient safety and patient safety officer at Hunterdon Medical Center, said the collaboration between the staff has to be “exquisite” because of the complexities of health care. She said the hospital is learning constantly and is committed to identifying and eliminating any risks or hazard. But the emphasis is on prevention.
“It’s a passionate commitment,” Dougherty said. “Every time you walk in the door, you bring with you an attitude of prevention.”
Sacred Heart Hospital, Warren Hospital, St. Luke's and Hackettstown Regional Medical Center did not immediately return requests for comment.