Area hospitals score (mostly) well in patient safety ratings

by Patrice Johnson

Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades announced its Spring 2018 scorecard of patient safety rankings on April 24, and two area hospitals received A grades, three received Bs, and one a D.

When it came to safety standards in preventing medical errors, infections and other harms among their patients, St. Joseph Mercy Chelsea and the University of Michigan Health System Ann Arbor were among 23 other Michigan hospitals to receive A rankings.

B rankings included St. Joseph Mercy Hospital, Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti; Henry Ford Allegiance Health, Jackson; and Sparrow Hospital & Health System, Lansing.

No nearby hospitals earned C grades, but McLaren – Greater Lansing was awarded a D. Of note, Flint’s Hurley Medical Center was the only Michigan hospital to receive an F.

LHSG assigns A, B, C, D and F letter grades to approximately 2500 hospitals nationally and 76 hospitals in Michigan.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, developed under the guidance of an expert panel, uses 27 measurements of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades twice a year. It is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.

To see how other hospitals scored and to access safety tips for patients and their loved ones, visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.

Other Michigan hospitals to receive A rankings included:

• McLaren Macomb, Mt. Clemens
• Harper-Hutzel Hospital, Detroit
• Joseph Mercy Oakland, Pontiac
• Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, West Bloomfield
• Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, Commerce Township
• Memorial Healthcare, Owosso
• Hillsdale Hospital, Hillsdale
• War Memorial Hospital, Sault Sainte Marie
• Otsego Memorial Hospital, Gaylord
• Munson Healthcare Hospitals in Grayling, Cadillac, and Traverse City
• Spectrum Health United Hospital, Greenville
• Spectrum Health Blodgett Hospital, Grand Rapids
• Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, Grand Rapids
• Metro Health – University of MI Health, Wyoming
• Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital, Zeeland
• Lakeland Regional Medical Center-St. Joseph, St. Joseph
• Spectrum Health Ludington Hospital, Ludington
• UP Health System, Marquette
• Dickinson County Healthcare System, Iron Mountain.