BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A study of hospital safety across the country by the non-profit Leapfrog Group revealed a mixed report for Alabama’s hospitals.
Alabama came in 35th among the states, with only 16.7 percent of the Yellowhammer State’s hospitals earning an A.
The non-profit grades hospitals yearly based on 28 factors, all currently in use by national measurement and reporting programs, revealing how well hospitals prevent accidents, injuries, infections, and errors. Leapfrog uses information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and hospital surveys to develop the scores.
Those Alabama hospitals earning As are:
Baptist Medical Center East in Montgomery
Brookwood Medical Center in Birmingham
DeKalb Regional Medical Center in Fort Payne
Medical Center Enterprise in Enterprise
Providence Hospital in Mobile
Russellville Hospital in Russellville
Walker Baptist Medical Center in Jasper
Only two hospitals, Riverview Regional Medical Center in Gadsden, and Southeast Alabama Medical Center in Dothan received Fs.
In response to a query by AL.com, Southeast Alabama Medical Center addressed their low grade saying, “This year, Southeast Alabama Medical Center was one of only eight hospitals in the state that chose to participate fully in the Leapfrog survey… The decision to participate was intentional so we could learn from the Leapfrog survey process. Completing the voluntary section of the survey adversely impacted the overall score, but provided us valuable insight that will help our quality program in the future.”
Spokeswoman Claudia Hall said the hospital has already implemented several practices to improve safety: Staff members now meet daily to discuss safety issues, the hospital has added care coordinators, and has conducted training programs on hospital-acquired infections.
View the rest of the hospital grades on The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety Score website.
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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