4 Kane Hospitals Earn ‘A’ Safety Grades; Delnor Among ‘Top Hospitals’ in U.S.
Kane County hospitals earned outstanding “fall semester” report cards in safety, while Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital was rated among the 118 “Top Hospitals” in the U.S. in Leapfrog’s fall 2018 report.
After earning three A’s and two B’s in the spring Leapfrog Hospital Safety report, hospitals in Kane County earned four A’s and a B this fall.
“A” grades went to Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, Presence Mercy Medical Center in Aurora, Presence St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin and Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva . Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin earned a “B.”
Leapfrog says the letter grades overall are signs that hospitals are making progress in reducing avoidable deaths from errors and infections.
The bi-annual grading assigns “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” and “F” letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S., and is the nation’s only rating focused entirely on errors, accidents, injuries and infections that collectively are the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Perhaps the biggest accolade goes to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital, which was one of only seven Illinois hospitals to be named among the 118 “Top Hospitals” in the U.S.
The highest performing hospitals on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey are recognized annually with the prestigious Leapfrog Top Hospital award.
“We are proud of the extraordinary devotion and passion demonstrated by Delnor’s physicians, nurses and staff who are focused on delivering safe and high quality care to every patient, every time,” said Maureen Bryant, president of Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital. “To be named a Leapfrog Group Top Hospital for the second time in three years is a testament to our hospital’s ongoing commitment to patient engagement, safety, transparency and accountability. We are honored to bring to high level of care to the patients in the western suburbs.”
Delnor is among two Illinois general hospitals to make the “Top Hospitals” list. The other is Elmhurst Memorial Hospital.
Four more “Top Hospitals” in Illinois are teaching hospitals: Presence St. Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, Presence Resurrection Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and University of Chicago Medical Center.
OSF Holy Family Medical Center was named among “Top Rural Hospitals.”
Illinois is ranked 15th among the 50 states.Hawaii received the best rating overall, with Delaware and North Dakota tied for 49th.
Presence St. Joseph Hospital – Elgin made the biggest progress in letter grades, earning an “A” in the fall. It had moved up to a “B” in the spring after moving up from a “C” grade the previous three grading periods.
It should be noted that the grades are overall reports, and some hospitals declined to submit reports in certain categories.
The categories include “infections”, “problems with surgery”, “practices to prevent errors”, “safety problems” and “doctors, nurses and hospital staff.”
Click on the links below for more specific information.
Rush Copley kept its perfect scorecard, earning an “A” grade each year since 2012.
Presence Mercy Medical Center
Address: 1325 N. Highland Ave., Aurora
Presence Mercy Medical Center in Aurora earned an “A”. It had dropped to a “C” in the fall 2017 and “leapfrogged” to an “A” this spring.
Address: 77 N. Airlite St., Elgin
Address: 1425 N. Randall Road, Elgin
Delnor Hospital has maintained an “A” safety grade since 2015. But this year was named among the top hospitals in the U.S.
About the Grade
The Safety Grade is becoming the gold standard measure of patient safety, cited in MSNBC, The New York Times, and AARP The Magazine.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey and Health Information Technology Supplement.
How to Use the Grade
Many hospitals have world-renowned doctors and equipment, but not all hospitals prioritize their patient’s safety above all else. This tool can help guide your decision in a number of situations:
- Has your doctor referred you or a family member to a hospital for surgery?
- Are you preparing to have a baby?
- Is someone in your family suffering from chronic illness that could require immediate or consistent hospital care?
- Is your choice of hospital solely based on location or word-of-mouth?
The Safety Grade rates hospitals on the very basics of medical care, such as handwashing, entering prescriptions through a computer, and the availability of highly-trained nurses. So no matter the reason for a hospital visit, safety should be your number one concern.
SOURCE: Leapfrog website
