A national nonprofit group recently graded more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals based on how well they protect patients from avoidable medical mistakes. Along with highlighting the importance of checking the ratings of your local hospitals, the findings revealed that patients are at an increasingly higher risk of dying from medical errors, deadly infections, botched surgeries, and safety problems at low-ranked hospitals.
Failing Grades for Hospitals in Michigan and Elsewhere
As reported in USA Today, the latest edition of the semiannual Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades was released on May 15. The nonprofit Leapfrog Group assigns hospitals grades that range from A to F according to safety and quality. Patients at D and F hospitals were found to face almost double the risk of death when compared to A-ranked hospitals.
There were 168 hospitals nationwide that received failing or near-failing grades. Hurley Medical Center in Flint, Michigan, was listed among the hospitals with failing classifications. It was the only facility to receive an F grade out of the 81 hospitals rated in the state. It also has a one-star rating on CMS’ Hospital Compare site.
Hurley Medical Center spokeswoman Laura Jasso pointed out that the hospital declined to provide the Leapfrog survey with additional information, which she said “obviously” influenced the grade. Over 2,000 hospitals voluntarily provide Leapfrog with extra data on aspects such as hand hygiene and medication safety.
Leapfrog also contracted with the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins Medicine to release an updated report on the risk of death. The findings indicate that an estimated 160,000 patients die annually due to avoidable medical errors, which marks a significant decrease from the 205,000 avoidable deaths recorded in 2016.
Michigan Medical Malpractice Lawyers
If you or a loved experienced substandard treatment from a Michigan hospital, you might be a victim of medical malpractice. For a free consultation to review your situation and the resulting injuries, please contact Sommers Schwartz today.
Robert B. Sickels
For more than 30 years, Robert Sickels has successfully represented plaintiffs involved in complex personal injury, medical negligence, and products liability matters.
