Three U.P. hospitals receive ‘A’ grades for patient safety

NOVI, MICHIGAN — Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM) and The Leapfrog Group, a Washington announced the updated Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, according to a press release. The Hospital Safety Grade scores hospitals on how safe they keep their patients from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. These errors, killing or harming millions of people per year, are the third leading cause of death in the U.S.

Three Upper Peninsula hospitals were awarded an “A” grade: Dickinson County Healthcare System (Iron Mountain), U.P. Health Systems – Marquette (Marquette) and War Memorial Hospital (Sault Ste. Marie). DCHS has received “Straight A’s” since the inception of this grading system in 2012, and is the only U.P. hospital to do so.

In a press release from the hospital, DCHS Administrator-CEO John Schon said, “I am very proud that DCHS has again received an ‘A’ Grade for Patient Safety from the Leapfrog Group! I am also very proud that DCHS has been able to maintain our ‘A’ Grade since the inception of the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade review in 2012 and that DCHS is one of only three hospitals in the State of Michigan to have also received ‘Straight A’s’ for Patient Safety since inception of the Leapfrog Patient Safety Grading System.”

Schon went on to say “that our Medical Staff and Hospital staffs deserve all the credit due to their never ending dedication to provide our patients the safest and highest quality patient care we can offer. This recognition is again verification that our teams approach to patient care works and is the result of our strong physician and staff engagement in the caring for our patients.”

According to the EAM press release, UPHS – Marquette took a leap forward this year. The past four grades for UPHS were either a “C” or a “D.”

“At UPHS – Marquette, quality care and patient safety are a way of life and top priority for everyone on our team,” said Brian Sinotte, Market President for UP Health System, in a UPHS press release. “I’m very proud of our team’s unwavering commitment to quality and safety and how so many have come together to look for new ways to improve the care we provide. While we see the impact of our quality initiatives in real-time every day, it is nice to see our progress recognized through national grading systems as well.”

Patient safety amongst Michigan hospitals is also improving. Currently, Michigan ranks 24th in the country for percentage of “A” hospitals, whereas last fall the state was 36th.

In Michigan, along with the 23 hospitals receiving an “A,” 24 earned a “B,” 24 earned a “C,” four hospitals received a “D,” and one hospital recorded an “F.” 750 hospitals across the country also received an “A” grade.

Developed under the guidance of an Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to approximately 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. To see the complete Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade and access consumer-friendly tips for patients, click HERE.