Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Gets 'A' Grade in Patient Safety

Most Massachusetts hospitals scored high on patient safety ratings, but overall, the commonwealth’s hospitals declined in some areas and improvements “remain sluggish,” according to an independent study by a national hospital watchdog group.

The Leapfrog Group released Hospital Safety Scores Wednesday, showing shifts among many hospitals on the letter grades that rate them on errors, injuries, accidents and infections. The scores are released bi-annually.

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital received an “A” grade in regards to patient safety.

It’s a busy week for hospital survey results. Massachusetts hospitals were examined in the latest Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services-Hospital Compare list. See how your hospital rates.

Of the 28 measures used to calculate the A, B, C, D or F grades, on average, hospital performance improved on eight measures, but average performance declined on six measures, said the announcement.

In Massachusetts, patient scores were reported for 58 hospitals in the state. More than half earned an “A” grade, with all of the remaining except for one earning a “B” grade. HealthAlliance in Leominster received a “C,” the lowest of the Massachusetts scores.

Here’s how the hospitals rated:

A Rating

• Addison Gilbert Hospital, Gloucester
• Baystate Medical Center, Springfield
• Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield
• Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Needham
• Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Plymouth
• Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Milton
• Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Boston
• Beverly Hospital, Beverly
• Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, Boston
• Cambridge Health Alliance: Whidden, Everett
• Cape Cod Hospital, Hyannis
• Carney Hospital, Dorchester
• Charlton Memorial Hospital, Fall River
• Cooley Dickinson Hospital, Northampton
• Emerson Hospital, Concord
• Harrington Memorial Hospital, Southbridge
• Holy Family Hospital, Methuen
• Leonard Morse Hospital, Natick
• Lowell General Hospital-Main Campus, Lowell
• Marlborough Hospital, Marlborough
• Mercy Medical Center of Springfield, Springfield
• MetroWest Medical Center, Framingham
• Milford Regional Medical Center, Milford
• Mount Auburn Hospital, Cambridge
• Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Newton
• Saint Anne’s Hospital, Fall River
• Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital, Brockton
• St. Vincent Hospital, Worcester
• St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Boston
• St. Luke’s Hospital, New Bedford
• Steward Good Samaritan Medical Center, Brockton
• Sturdy Memorial Hospital, Attleboro
• Tobey Hospital, Wareham
• Winchester Hospital, Winchester

B Grade

• Anna Jaques Hospital, Newburyport
• Boston Medical Center, Boston
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston
• Cambridge Health Alliance, Cambridge
• Falmouth Hospital, Falmouth
• Hallmark Health System Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, Medford
• Hallmark Health System Melrose-Wakefield Hospital, Melrose
• Heywood Hospital, Gardner
• Holyoke Medical Center, Holyoke
• Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington
• Lawrence General Hospital, Lawrence
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
• Morton Hospital, Taunton
• Noble Hospital, Westfield
• Norwood Hospital, Norwood
• South Shore Hospital, South Weymouth
• U Mass Memorial Medical Center - Memorial Campus, Worcester

C Grade

• HealthAlliance Hospital, Leominster

There are “more encouraging signs with the data” nationally, according to LeapFrog. Hospitals are taking steps to make safety a priority, and showing some encouraging results — either by consistently maintaining an “A” score, or by raising a lower score to an “A” over time, the report finds. Since the launch of the Hospital Safety Score in 2012, 133 hospitals have earned an “A” in each of the twice-annual updates of the Score — about 5 percent of all graded hospitals.

“Taking a deeper look at the 133 ‘Straight A’ hospitals reveals a diverse group, similar only in their consistent commitment to patient safety. Hospitals from across the country, with 100 beds to over 750 beds, non-profit and for-profit alike received this top honor,” said Leah Binder, president & CEO of The Leapfrog Group, in a statement. “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.”

Included in the list of “Straight A” hospitals are Baystate Medical Center and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Massachusetts, along with three in the Baptist Health South Florida system, Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center and the University of Chicago Medical Center.

LeapFrog reported these key findings:

• Of the 2,530 hospitals issued a Hospital Safety Score, 773 earned an A, 724 earned a B, 866 earned a C, 133 earned a D and 34 earned an F.
• For the fourth time in a row, Maine claimed the number-one spot for the state with the highest percentage of A hospitals, with nearly 69 percent of its hospitals receiving an A.
• No hospitals in the District of Columbia, Alaska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Vermont, or Wyoming received an A grade.
• Due to a considerable data update, 46 percent of hospitals changed at least one letter grade.

The Hospital Safety Score assigns A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. It is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Go here for more information about the Hospital Safety Score or to view the list of state rankings.