The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization focused on health care safety, released the spring 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. The safety guide assigns a letter grade to nearly 3,000 U.S. general hospitals based on over 30 measures of patient safety. These latest grades provide a look at the impact of COVID-19 on patient safety, with several measures included in the grade showing a significant decline.
How the grades are assigned
Recent studies have shown that the pandemic has reversed years of progress on patient safety efforts. The updated data included in the Safety Grade, some of which reflects a pandemic-era timeframe, heighten these findings and show how patient care worsened because of strains on the health care system and workforce.
Included in the over 30 measures of patient safety used to calculate the Hospital Safety Grades are five measures of patient experience that research has shown to have a direct tie to patient safety outcomes. For example, enhanced communication with providers and about medications can lead to lower rates of hospital-acquired conditions like sepsis and blood clots, fewer surgical complications, and decreases in incidence of respiratory failure.
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“The health care workforce has faced unprecedented levels of pressure during the pandemic, and as a result, patients’ experience with their care appears to have suffered,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We commend the workforce for their heroic efforts these past few years and now strongly urge hospital leadership to recommit to improved care—from communication to responsiveness—and get back on track with patient safety outcomes.”
Tampa Bay Hospitals
Here are some of the most popular Tampa Bay hospitals and their grade ranking:
Tampa General Hospital
Grade: C
Reason: Although TGH had few infections after surgery, they had a few serious marks against them regarding problems during surgery. This includes things like dangerous objects being left in a patient’s body and surgical wounds opening. However, after surgery, they had few problems with patients regarding things like bed sores and dangerous falls.
St. Joseph’s Hospital
Grade: A
Why: St. Joe’s leadership and practice to prevent errors helped them to achieve this high grade. However, there were some problems with doctors ordering medications through a computer that could be improved upon.
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St. Petersburg General Hospital
Grade: A
Why: St. Petersburg has fewer infections and problems during and after surgery compared to other hospitals. Although more effective leadership could be put in place, according to the survey, patients were happy with their treatment at this hospital.
Lakeland Regional Medical Center
Grade: C
Why: Despite very few problems during actual surgery, Lakeland Regional needs to improve their aftercare abilities. Their lower grade is because of performing below average regarding patient falls, blood clots and bed sores.
Lakewood Ranch Medical Center
Grade: B
Why: Lakewood Ranch performs below average when it comes to certain hospital infections and aspects of customer service, including communication and responsiveness. However, they have very few problems with surgeries as a result of having excellent hospital practices to prevent errors.