Who's on the A-list? Maine hospitals get mixed grades in national safety study
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A new report card grades the safety of patients in nearly 3,000 hospitals throughout the U.S., and Maine's class received middling marks.
The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization, gave grades ranging from A to F — best to worst — to sum up how well each hospital protects patients from preventable medical errors, accidents and infections. The Washington, D.C.-based group has been conducting its assessments twice a year since 2000.
Grades released Monday gave nearly 30% of U.S. hospitals an A, while 24% earned a B, 39% got a C and 7% received a D. Less than 1% flunked with an F.
Across Maine, six of the 17 evaluated hospitals received an A, another six got a B, and five hospitals earned a C. Overall, that's a decline from recent evaluations.
In the spring of 2021, for example, nine of the 16 Maine hospitals received an A, and the state ranked No. 3 in the U.S. for the highest percentage of facilities with the top mark. The Leapfrog Group hailed Maine that December with an award as the “Top State of the Decade for Patient Safety," and said Maine — at the time — had ranked No. 1 in the A-lister share more often than any other state.
In the spring of 2022, 15 Maine hospitals were graded, and seven received an A.
This fall, the top 10 states with the largest share of hospitals on the A-list are: Utah, No. 1, followed by Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Connecticut, Montana, Tennessee, Florida and Texas.
Receiving the least favorable grades are Vermont, Wyoming, Delaware, Washington D.C. and North Dakota, none of which are home to hospitals with an A.
“Now that we have pre- and post-pandemic data for patient safety measures, we are encouraged by the improvement in infections and applaud hospitals for reversing the disturbing infection spike we saw during the pandemic,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group.
“However, there’s still more work to be done. It’s deeply concerning that patient reports about their health care experience continues to decline. “In talking with hospital leaders, we believe staffing shortages are one key reason for the continued decline,” added Binder, a Maine native.
“Many hospitals are innovating to help make patient experience better, which is critical because these results are disheartening and unsustainable.”
The Leapfrog Group bases its grades on more than 30 measures of patient safety. Not all hospitals are graded each year, since the information is provided voluntarily and sometimes there's not enough statistically significant data.
For the complete grades, click here.
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