MaineGeneral Medical Center

The hardest-hit facilities are expected to include Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, MaineGeneral Health in Augusta and Maine Medical Center in Portland.

As the demand for nursing staff in the state continues, the University of Maine at Augusta will expand enrollment for its nursing degree programs by opening a new facility. 

The grading by the Leapfrog Group showed some Maine hospitals are succeeding in their efforts to prevent medical errors. But there's more improvement needed than in previous evaluations.

Charles "Chuck" Hays Jr. succeeded William Sprague Jr. as chair of the board of directors, while Mary Denison, a founding member of Lake & Denison LLC, becomes vice chair.

Nathan Howell, who brings decades of experience to the role, will replace Chuck Hays as president and CEO on July 1. 

Maine ranked No. 11 among all states for the highest ratio of hospitals receiving a top grade of "A" from the Leapfrog Group. But that rank represents a decline from a year ago.

The city-owned Civic Center, which normally hosts basketball tournaments and large conferences this time of year, is the only space in the region large enough to accommodate both the six-day-a-week vaccination clinic as well as meetings of the full Legislature.

Jackson Laboratory, in Bar Harbor, is working with several Maine hospitals to provide additional coronavirus testing capacity for frontline health care workers and inpatients throughout the state.

More and more hospitals throughout Maine are using surgical robots. Surgeons liken the technology to video games because it involves manipulating instruments from a control console. But the potential of this approach to healing isn't kid stuff.

Maine rose seven spots and now ranks third in the top 10 states with the safest hospitals, according to the Leapfrog Group’s spring 2019 Hospital Safety Grades. In Leapfrog’s fall 2018 report, Maine ranked 10th with 40% of the hospitals receiving an “A” grade.