4 Of 6 Kane Hospitals Earn ‘A’ Safety Grades; Huntley Hospital Gets Its First Grade
One new Kane County-area hospital was added to the Leapfrog list for safety grading this spring, and it was one of four that earned an “A” grade.
Each spring and fall, Leapfrog assigns “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” and “F” letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S. It 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.
The grades are a way for consumers to choose a hospital on criteria other than 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.
Kane County Hospitals earned four A’s and two B’s in the Spring 2019 grading.
“A” grades went to Rush Copley Medical Center in Aurora, AMITA Health St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva and the newest hospital on the list: Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital
“B” grades went to AMITA Health Mercy Medical Center in Aurora and Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin.
Statewide Grades
Overall, Illinois’ safety ranking dropped from 13th in the fall to 14th in the spring.
Oregon was the top-ranked state for hospital safety. There was a five-way tie for the least safe. Tied for 47th were Wyoming, Alaska, Washington D.C., Delaware and North Dakota.
Forty-two Illinois hospitals, including 25 in the Chicago area, received an A grade in hospital safety, according to the Spring 2019 ratings released Wednesday.
The nonprofit group found that of the more than 2,600 hospitals graded in the country, 32 percent earned an A grade, findings that were unchanged from the group’s last round of rankings released in Fall 2018.
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
