When it comes to finding the best hospital care for yourself and your family, it might be difficult to choose the one that you prefer. They all vary on things such as infection rates, surgical errors, patient injuries, ER wait times, patient satisfaction, and others. Are you getting ready to have a baby? Do you or a relative need surgery? Whether you’re planning your next visit to the hospital or want an established hospital to go to “just in case,” you may want to consider going to a hospital with the best care.
Making transparency the norm in health care
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for healthcare consumers and purchasers, issued their Hospital Safety Grades. They publicly report critical safety and quality information that can help you find the best care for you and your family. For over 20 years they “collected, analyzed, and published hospital data on safety and quality in order to push the health care industry forward.”
Each hospital was ranked in the nation as either A, B, C, D or F. The Hospital Safety Grade uses more than 30 national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, and information from other supplemental data sources. Together, those performance measures produce a single letter grade representing a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors. As far as the methodology, it has been peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Patient Safety.
The top ten states with the highest percentages of “A” hospitals.
In the report, the top ten states with the highest percentages of “A” hospitals are New Jersey, Idaho, Utah, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, Virginia, and Massachusetts. Meanwhile, there were no “A” hospitals in Delaware, the District of Columbia, or North Dakota. Overall, twenty-nine percent of hospitals received an “A,” 26 percent received a “B,” 39 percent received a “C,” 6 percent received a “D,” and less than 1 percent received an “F.”
Never refuse care in an emergency because of the hospital’s grade.
However, the nonprofit said never to refuse care in an emergency because of the hospital’s grade. People are encouraged to use the information as a guide for planned events and a research tool for potential emergencies.
As far as Michigan, our state has 26.8 percent grade A hospitals for Spring 2023 and ranks 24 in the nation. This is lower than Fall 2022’s 33.5 percent grade A hospitals and number 19 ranking.
Over 80 Michigan hospitals received Hospital Safety Grades. Take a look at Michigan’s and other states’ Hospital Safety Grades here.
Here are some ways to choose the right hospital.
Choose an accredited hospital.
Use hospitals that have received accreditation from an agency approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Choose a hospital with expertise and experience in your condition.
Hospitals often specialize in particular areas. So, asking how many patients with your health condition are treated at a particular hospital each year can help you decide on a hospital.
Research hospital performance.
Research hospital performance on quality, safety, outcomes, and other criteria. Having information on outcomes, complication rates, infections and even death rates for specific medical conditions and procedures at hospitals in your area can help you choose a hospital.
Look into Hospital Safety Grades.
Leapfrog assigns letter grades (A through F) for hospitals based on their ability to protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries, and infections. Search for hospitals by geographic area, or name, to see quality data for information on medication safety, infections and injuries, inpatient care management, and more.
Find information on Medicare penalties.
You can use a website created by Kaiser Health News to look up hospitals by name or location to find out if Medicare imposed penalties for either readmissions or hospital-acquired conditions such as infections and patient injuries.
Medicare’s Care Compare.
Medicare’s Care Compare website shows their star ratings for hospitals nationwide based on performance. You can also find patient survey scores for each hospital. These scores come from patients who completed the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. The surveys include communication with doctors and nurses, hospital staff responsiveness, hospital cleanliness, and others.
Look into hospitals that take your insurance coverage.
To avoid unexpected bills, check with your insurance carrier to determine your coverage at any hospital you consider. Also, don’t forget to ask if you need pre-approval, or if there are any exclusions to your coverage.
