DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - HSHS St. Mary's Hospital in Decatur is one of four Illinois hospitals to receive an 'F' grade, according to the new Fall Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.
The Decatur facility was not the only HSHS facility to receive a poor grade, as HSHS St. John's Hospital in Springfield earned a 'D.'
Leapfrog's grades, formerly called Hospital Safety Scores, use a series of "22 evidence-based measures of patient safety," according to Leapfrog. Some of the measures come from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The system used by Leapfrog has been approved by the Journal of Patient Safety, according to the group.
The organization releases grades twice per year for nearly 3,000 general acute-care hospitals. It also works with a panel of experts from the health industry including doctors from Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Stanford.
The 'F' grade for HSHS St. Mary's is the third straight dating back to the fall of 2024. Its previous three grades were a 'D.' A representative from HSHS said the following in a statement:
"HSHS is committed to providing quality patient care and continues to proactively manage and measure internal quality improvement initiatives that lead to positive patient outcomes.
There are a variety of health care quality rating organizations (e.g. Leapfrog, HealthGrades, US News) that review and publish hospital quality scores. No two organizations rely on the same criteria for their ratings, which may include publicly reported data, such as data from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) and state databases; their own proprietary quality measures, or a mixture of both.
HSHS supports the collection and publication of hospital quality data to help consumers make informed decisions about their health care. Since each rating organization relies on different metrics to create a quality ranking, grade or score for each hospital, it can be difficult to discern which ranking is most accurate.
HSHS utilizes its internal quality teams to manage and measure a robust set of data and metrics, with the goal to continuously improve the standard of care. We have organized shared clinical quality governance councils to empower colleagues to have a voice in how to ensure our patients receive quality, safe and effective care. We also encourage patients and families to discuss individual care plans with their physician and care teams as part of their decision-making when choosing a hospital."
The 'D' grade for HSHS St. John's is its third straight after several 'C' grades.
According to Leapfrog's website, HSHS did not respond (or participate) to the group's survey.
Decatur Memorial Hospital earned one of the highest grades in the area with a 'B.' It's also one of the highest grades DMH has received in recent years after a string of 'C' grades, and one 'D.' Drew Early, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Memorial Health said the following:
"Memorial Health is committed to advancing safety and quality in everything we do. These improved scores reflect the tireless efforts of our clinical teams, caregivers, quality and safety experts and support staff, who work every day to provide safe care that is backed by research and best practice. We will continue this work so everyone who comes to Memorial can be confident in getting the best care possible."
OSF Sacred Heart received the second-highest grade in the area, earning a 'C' grade. In 2022, they were graded at a 'B,' but have not gotten higher than a 'C' since. A spokesperson for OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center said the following:
“Leapfrog scores are something our teams are continually monitoring, and we are committed to improving safety and quality of care. We support the transparency about quality and safety that the Leapfrog grades provide.”
Carle Foundation Hospital earned a 'D' grade. The sent the following statement to WAND News.
"Carle Health prioritizes safety and quality care for all. This commitment is evident in the national rating surveys and health outcomes of our patients. Our decision not to participate in this specific survey reflects our belief that resources are better invested in our patients' care. The score reflects our non-participation and not our outcomes."
Other central Illinois hospital grades included:
- Springfield Memorial Hospital - C
- HSHS St. Anthony's Memorial Hospital - C
- Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center - C
The Leapfrog Group works towards improving transparency in healthcare facilities nationwide. The full list of hospital grades is available on Leapfrog's website.
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