Long Island Hospital Safety Grades Revealed
In the most recent survey, New York ranked 46th in the nation, down from 44th, for hospital safety by The Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C. nonprofit watchdog organization. Leapfrog’s mission is to use their collective influence to foster positive change in U.S. healthcare.
The Leapfrog Group uses 30 evidence-based measures of patient safety that include things like injuries, accidents and infections. Numerical scores are converted into letter grades.
Leapfrog ranked 138 New York hospitals. Only one Long Island hospital, St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, received an A grade. Here’s the complete list of Long Island hospital grades:
GRADE: A
· St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn
GRADE B:
· Eastern Long Island Hospital, Greenport
· Southampton Hospital, Southampton
· St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, Smithtown
· St. Charles Hospital, Port Jefferson
GRADE C:
· Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center, West Islip
· Huntington Hospital, Huntington
· John T. Mather Memorial Hospital, Port Jefferson
· Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow
· North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset
· Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park
· Glen Cove Hospital, Glen Cove
· Mercy Medical Center, Rockville Centre
· Peconic Bay Medical Center, Riverhead
· Plainview Hospital, Plainview
· Southside Hospital, Bay Shore
· South Nassau Communities Hospital, Oceanside
· Stony Brook University Hospital, Stony Brook
· Syosset Hospital, Syosset
· Winthrop-University Hospital, Mineola
GRADE D:
· St. Joseph Hospital, Bethpage
Of more than 2,600 hospitals graded nationwide, there were 844 “A” grade hospitals and only 20 “F” grade hospitals.
“In the fast-changing health care landscape, patients should be aware that hospitals are not all equally competent at protecting them from injuries and infections,” says Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder. “We believe everyone has the right to know which hospitals are the safest and encourage community members to call on their local hospitals to change, and on their elected officials to spur them to action. States that put a priority on safety have shown remarkable improvements.”
It is crucial to understand the safety procedures your hospital has in place. Make sure to do as much research as possible when selecting a hospital because some simply do a better job than others.
Find out if the hospital meets national quality standards. It helps to check your state health department and its hospital association. A helpful website is bit.ly/HospitalsNYHealth where you can compare facilities and see state averages. It also contains data about how hospitals perform particular procedures, as well as information about best practices.
Hospital Compare (bit.ly/HospitalCompareUS), set up by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, lets you search by city, state or other criteria. You can look up statistics comparing more than 5,000 hospitals and can view state and federal averages.
In addition, it is important to research the doctor administering care. It is also a good idea to check your health plan’s web site. The bottom line is to stay aware and to advocate for the family member or loved one who is hospitalized. Ask questions, get second opinions and don’t be afraid to speak up.
For the complete list of Leapfrog Group’s New York hospital rankings go to bit.ly/LeapFrogList
If you or a loved one has been injured due to medical malpractice, contact Rosenberg & Gluck, personal injury attorneys, for a free and confidential legal consultation to learn more about your options.
