Hospitals in Connecticut could be getting safer! According to the Fall 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, Connecticut hospitals have drastically improved since the beginning of the year. Ranking number 40 in the Spring 2019 report, Connecticut now sits at number 17. That’s a 23 rank increase in just six months!
Medical errors are still a leading cause of death in America, responsible for over 400,000 fatalities every year. Hospitals and medical centers must be held accountable for upholding high standards of care. Oversight in health and safety practices results in preventable accidents, putting patient’s lives at unnecessary risk.
Connecticut Hospital Rankings
Hospitals in the state may be improving, but it’s still imperative that Connecticut residents do their research before seeking medical care. Choosing a medical facility based on proximity over quality is not a sacrifice patients should have to make. The transparency provided by the Leapfrog Hospital Group helps patients choose the best facility for their health and avoid hospitals who do not prioritize safety.
Out of the 24 Connecticut facilities rated in the Fall Leapfrog Hospital Grade Report, nearly 38 percent received an ‘A’ rating, five more facilities than in the Spring 2019 grades. Unfortunately, one hospital in Bridgeport received a ‘D’ rating this season when no facilities received a rating this low in the Spring.
See where your local hospital landed in the full list of ratings below:
A- Rating
Bristol Hospital- Bristol
Charlotte Hungerford Hospital- Torrington
Johnson Memorial Medical Center- Stafford Springs
MidState Medical Center- Meriden
Sharon Hospital- Sharon
St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center- Hartford
Stamford Health- Stamford
The William W. Backus Hospital- Norwich
Windham Community Memorial Hospital- Willimantic
B- Rating
Danbury Hospital- Danbury
New Milford Hospital- New Milford
The Hospital of Central Connecticut- New Britain
C- Rating
Bridgeport Hospital- Bridgeport
Day Kimball Hospital- Putnam
Greenwich Hospital- Greenwich
Griffin Hospital- Derby
Hartford Hospital- Hartford
Lawrence & Memorial Hospital- New London
Middlesex Health- Middletown
Saint Mary’s Hospital- Waterbury
University of Connecticut Health Center, John Dempsey Hospital- Farmington
Yale-New Haven Hospital- New Haven
Yale-New Haven Hospital Saint Raphael Campus- New Haven
D- Rating
St. Vincent’s Medical Center- Bridgeport
How They Get The Grade
The Leapfrog Group has provided transparency to patients across the country regarding hospital safety and health standards for nearly 20 years. Founded in 2000, this nonprofit has become highly respected in the health care industry for its grading system, creating a golden standard for hospitals to strive for.
Since the grading system began, hospital safety ratings have noticeably been on the rise. Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grade reports are released twice a year to keep patients updated: once in May and again in October, both periods known for high rates of injuries.
Each hospital or medical center evaluated is crucially reviewed in five main areas that can make-or-break the success of a facility:
- Infections
- Problems with Surgery
- Practices to Prevent Medical Errors
- Safety Problems
- Doctors, Nurses & Hospital Staff
The Leapfrog Expert Panel derives each hospital’s grade by selecting, analyzing, and determining the weight of 28 measures of hospital safety based on three factors: evidence, the opportunity for improvement, and impact. Each measure is then defined into these two groups, which each make up 50 percent of the overall scores:
- Process/Structural Measures: Process Measures are how often facilities communicate with their patients, such as responding to questions or providing feedback. Structural Measures represent the environment and systems a hospital uses to serve patients, such as their computer systems.
- Outcome Measures: Outcome measures represent what happens to the patient while they are receiving care from a hospital.
Patients deserve optimal health care every time they visit a hospital. By holding hospitals accountable for improving their levels of care, The Leapfrog Group has significantly impacted how these facilities are run and how/why patients are choosing their healthcare facilities.
How To Stay Safe
Unfortunately, not every hospital prioritizes health and safety as highly as others. To help keep you and your loved ones safe during any hospital visit, The Leapfrog Groups recommends taking the following simple steps:
- Prevent medication errors by understanding every medication you are prescribed and why.
- Protect your loved ones in the hospital by staying educated, asking questions, and sharing concerns.
- Prevent falls by wearing non-slip socks, using your call button for help, lowering the bed height and side rails, and knowing which medications could make you dizzy.
- Help family members in the hospital by being present for rounds, understanding their treatment plan, and taking notes.
- Talk to your doctor about their plan regarding medical errors.
No one should have to suffer from subpar medical care. For more resources on how to keep you and your family safe in the hospitals, click here for more information from the Leapfrog Group.
Connecticut Medical Malpractice Attorneys
Hospitals and medical centers have an obligation to prevent their patients from unforeseeable harm. If you or a loved has been injured due to the medical negligence of a health care facility, you may be eligible to receive compensation for any damages suffered. Contact our expert team of medical malpractice attorneys at Jacobs & Wallace for a free consultation and to explore your options.
