Three Area Hospitals Score 'A' Grades for Hospital Safety

Los Alamitos Medical Center, Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, and St. Mary Medical Center of Long Beach are among 88 California hospitals in California to receive an “A” grade in the Fall 2015 Hospital Safety Score conducted by The Leapfrog Group.

Released last week, the survey assesses hospitals on how safe they keep their patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. Leapfrog launched the survey in 2012.

Approximately 440,000 deaths occur each year due to hospital errors and injuries, according to Leapfrog, which developed the survey to reduce those outcomes “by publicly recognizing safety and exposing harm.”

“No matter how large or small, no matter what kind of community they serve, all hospitals have the potential to give their patients this high level of safe care,” said Leah Binder, president & CEO of The Leapfrog Group in a news release.

Other regional hospitals receiving an A grade include Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach; Lakewood Regional Medical Center; Saddleback Memorial Medical Center of San Clemente; Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center; West Anaheim Medical Center; Hoag Hospital Irvine; Kaiser Foundation Hospital, Orange County-Irvine; University of California Irvine Medical Center; Kaiser Foundation Hospital South Bay in Harbor City, and Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance.

Area hospitals receiving a C grade include Mission Hospital Laguna Beach; Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center in Mission Viejo; Los Angeles County - Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance; Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro, and University of California Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

California ranked 11th in the nationwide survey with 34.6 percent of its surveyed hospitals earning an A grade. Maine was at the top of the heap with 11 of its 16 hospitals earning A grades for a 68.8 percent score. Massachusetts was second at 60.3 percent followed by Florida’s 56.4 percent.

The Hospital Safety Score assigns A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals two times a year. Survey scores are calculated by top patient safety experts and peer-reviewed.