Hospital Safety Grades: ‘A’ to ‘F,’ Where to Go If You're Sick in Ferndale

FERNDALE, MI — Four southeast Michigan hospitals received “A” grades in a national ranking of 2,633 hospitals nationwide on improvements in the prevention of errors, injuries, accidents and infections, according to a new study released Monday

The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit founded by employers and health-care providers, announced its Fall 2016 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a program which assigns A, B, C, D and F letter grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals bi-annually and is the gold standard measure of patient safety in the United States.

Hospital safety breakdowns, including patient injuries, accidents and infections, kill more than 200,000 Americans each year, making these errors the third leading cause of death in the UnitEd States. But not all hospitals are alike.

Of the 2,633 hospitals evaluated, 844 earned an “A,” 658 earned a “B,” 954 earned a “C,” 157 earned a “D” and 20 earned an “F.”

“In the fast-changing healthcare landscape, patients should be aware that hospitals are not all equally competent at protecting them from injuries and infections,” Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder said in a news release. “We believe everyone has the right to know which hospitals are the safest and encourage community members to call on their local hospitals to change, and on their elected officials to spur them to action. States that put a priority on safety have shown remarkable improvements.”

Metro Detroit Scores

The four Michigan hospitals received “straight A” grades were Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital in Commerce Township, University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers in Ann Arbor, Dickinson County Healthcare System in Iron Mountain, and Henry Ford Allegiance Health in Jackson.

“A” Grade

St. Joseph Mercy in Pontiac improved to an “A” grade, up from a “C” in the spring and a “B” a year ago. The hospital consistently received an “A” grade from spring 2013 to spring 2015.

Henry Ford West Bloomfield received an “A,” an improvement over the “B” the hospital received this spring and last fall, and its “C” grades from spring 2013 to spring 2015.

St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital earned an “A,” an improvement over the spring grade of “C.”

St. Joseph Mercy Hospital in Chelsea got an “A.” Its only grade other than an A since spring 2013 was a “B” in fall 2015.

Beaumont Hospital – Taylor received an “A,” an improvement from the “B” it received in the spring and last fall’s “C.”

“B” Grade

Henry Ford Macomb Hospitals in Clinton Township received a “B,” an improvement over the “C” grade given in the spring. Before that, the hospital consistently earned a “B” from spring 2013 to fall 2015.

St. Mary Mercy Hospital Livonia, “B” the same as the letter grade for spring, but down from the “A” grades the hospital received from spring 2013 through fall 2015.

Beaumont Hospital – Trenton got a “B,” an improvement from the “C” grades give in 2015, 2014 and fall 2013. In the spring of 2013, the hospital got a “B.”

Beaumont Hospital – Dearborn received a “B,” the same grade received in the spring, but up from the “C” grades of 2015 and the “D” grades in 2014.

“C” Grade”

Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit received “C” ratings in both the spring and fall of this year, a decline from a “B” grade in the fall of 2015 and consistent “A” grades from spring 2013 through spring 2015.

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit received a “C,” down from a “B” in the spring, and a return to the “C” grades given in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

Harper-Hutzel Hospital in Detroit received a “C,” the same as in the spring and fall 2015, down from the “B” given the hospital in spring 2015 and the “A” grades in 2013 and 2014.

St. John Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit received a “C,” the same as in the spring, and down from the “A” grades received in 2014 and 2015.

Detroit Receiving Hospital and University Health Center in Detroit received a “C,” the same grade as in the fall, but a slippage from the “A” it received almost consistently from spring 2013 through fall 2015. Its only non-”A” was a “B” in spring 2015.

Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak received a “C,” the same grade given in the spring. From 2013-2015, the hospital received “B” grades.

Beaumont Hospital – Troy received a “C,” a decline from a “B” in the spring and “A” ratings in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

McLaren – Oakland in Pontiac got a “C,” down from a “B” in the spring and fall 2015. From spring 2013 to spring 2015, the hospital received a “C.”

Beaumont Hospital – Grosse Pointe received a “C,” the same as in the spring. Since spring 2013, the hospital’s best grades were an “A” in the spring and fall of that year, and “B” ratings in 2014 and 2015.

McLaren Flint received a “C,” the same as in the spring, and down from last fall’s “B.” The hospital’s lowest grade since spring 2013 was a “D” in both fall 2013 and spring 2014.

Beaumont Wayne received a “C,” the same as in the spring, and down from the “B” grades of 2015.

Henry Ford Wyandotte received a “C,” the grade the hospital has gotten consistently since spring 2013, when it got a “B.”

Beaumont Hospital – Farmington Hills received a “C,” its grade on the last three safety report cards. From spring 2013 through spring 2015, the hospital received an “A” three times and a “B” twice.

McLaren Macomb in Mount Clemens got a “C,” an improvement from the “D” grade given in the spring. The hospital’s highest grade since spring 2013 was an “A” in spring 2015.

“D” Grade

Hurley Medical Center in Flint received a “D,” which has been consistent for the hospital in 2014 and 2015 — except last fall, when the hospital received a failing “F” grade. In the spring of 2013, the hospital received a “B.” Its slippage began in the fall of 2013 with a “C.”

St. John Macomb Hospital in Warren got a “D,” down from a “C” in the spring and mostly “B” grades in 2015, 2014 and 2013. In the fall of 2013, the hospital got an “A.”

St. John Oakland Hospital in Madison Heights got a “D,” down from a “C” in the spring and a string of “B” grades from spring 2013 to fall 2015. In the fall of 2013, the hospital got an “A.”

When ranked by percentage of hospitals earning an “A,” several states stood out for significant improvements over time. North Carolina has climbed from number 19 in the country in the Spring 2013 Safety Grade to number five in the Fall 2016 Safety Grade. Idaho has also made continuous strides, moving from number 45 in Spring 2013 to number two in Fall 2016.

Other states with notable improvements include Utah, ranked number six in the Fall 2016 Safety Grade, and Vermont, ranked number eight. For the first time, the top ranked state is Hawaii, while the bottom- ranked states, each with no “A” hospitals, are Alaska, Delaware and North Dakota, along with Washington, DC.

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