What to Know
- New York hospitals rank among the worst in the nation (No. 47) for patient safety; NJ hospitals came in No. 11 and CT hospitals were No. 30
- The rankings are based on the percentage of hospitals in each state that earned an "A" safety grade in Leapfrog's latest study
- Only 7 of 142 hospitals assessed in NY earned an 'A' grade; Leapfrog looked at 2,600+ hospitals across 50 states for the fall study
New York hospitals rank among the worst in the nation when it comes to avoiding medical errors, injuries and infections, while New Jersey is one of the better states for patient safety, a new report released Tuesday finds.
Some 2,630 hospitals across 50 states were assigned letter grades based on a range of patient safety measures and ranked based on their percentage of “A” hospitals, according to Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization.
New York came in at No. 47 and was one of five states with the lowest percentage of "A" hospitals this fall. A total of 142 hospitals were assessed, and just seven of those (4.93 percent) had a top rating for safety. None of the top seven were in the city, though, and just one was on Long Island.
These New York hospitals got an "A": Catholic Health -- Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Kenmore, Catholic Health System - Sisters of Charity Hospital in Buffalo, Highland Hospital of Rochester in Rochester, John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson, Oneida Healthcare Center in Oneida, RGHS - Rochester General Hospital in Rochester and Saratoga Hospital in Saratoga Springs.
Three hospitals -- two in Brooklyn and one on Staten Island -- got an "F" and 26 got a "D." Nationwide, just 15 hospitals got failing marks and 159 got a "D."
New Jersey fared much better than New York, coming in at No. 11 overall. Sixty-eight Garden State hospitals were assessed for the ranking, and 30 of those (44.12 percent) earned an "A." Connecticut (No. 30) had 25 hospitals evaluated; seven of those (28 percent) were awarded an "A" grade.
No hospitals in New Jersey or Connecticut earned an "F" grade, though some did get a "D." See full state rankings here and use the search function to see all the hospitals ranked in your state.
The biannual 2017 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades report shows the safety grades of hospitals in five states — Oregon, Rhode Island, Hawaii, Wisconsin and Idaho — have improved significantly since Leapfrog first issued grades in 2012. Rhode Island had the most dramatic improvement, jumping from 50th in 2012 to number one in the fall of 2017.
"What we've learned is that transparency has a real impact on patient safety. By making the Hospital Safety Grades public, we've galvanized major changes in these states and many communities," said President and CEO of Leapfrog, Leah Binder, in a press release.
Over 800 hospitals earned an “A” grade, with the highest percentages found in Rhode Island, Maine, Hawaii, Idaho and Virginia. The five states with the lowest percentage of A-grade hospitals are North Dakota, Washington D.C., Delaware, Maryland and New York.
The evaluation system factors in medical errors, infections and injuries, data provided to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the American Hospital Association, and surveys compiled by Leapfrog. It is calculated by top patient safety experts and peer-reviewed, the group said.
