Va. hospitals rank 2nd in nation in patient safety; Md. lags, DC near bottom

Virginia hospitals rank second in the country in patient safety, but patients in Maryland and the District hospitals are far more likely to encounter problems during their stays, according to a not-for-profit hospital watchdog group.

The “Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade” ratings are based on publicly reported data on the hospital’s rates of infections, complications and deaths from surgery, patient falls and injuries, bed sores and other situations that affect a patient’s stay.

All of the Northern Virginia hospitals in the WTOP listening area scored As or Bs, according to the study.

Maryland ranked 30th in the study, with a wide discrepancy of safety scores, from As to Ds, even within the Capital Beltway, in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

The District of Columbia ranked 47th in the country, with no hospitals earning an A.

Leapfrog estimates 160,000 lives are lost annually from avoidable medical errors, which is a significant improvement from 2016, when researchers estimated 205,000 avoidable deaths.

According to the group, patients at D- and F-rated hospitals face a 92% greater risk of avoidable death. Patients at C hospitals face an 88% greater risk, while patients at B hospitals face an increased risk of avoidable death of 35%.

The group ranks 2,600 acute care hospitals twice yearly.

VIRGINIA
Inova Mount Vernon Hospital Alexandria A
Inova Alexandria Hospital Alexandria A
Virginia Hospital Center – Arlington Health System Arlington A
Inova Fairfax Hospital Annandale A
Inova Fair Oaks Hospital Chantilly A
Reston Hospital Center Reston B
Inova Loudoun Hospital Leesburg A
Fauquier Hospital Warrenton B
Novant Health UVA Health System Prince William Medical Center Manassas A
Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center Woodbridge B
Stafford Hospital Stafford A
Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center Fredericksburg B
Mary Washington Hospital Fredericksburg A
Novant Health UVA Health System Culpeper Medical Center Culpeper A
Winchester Medical Center Winchester B

 

MARYLAND
Suburban Hospital Bethesda A
Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center Rockville B
CalvertHealth Medical Center Prince Frederick B
MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital Leonardtown A
Adventist HealthCare Washington Adventist Hospital Takoma Park B
MedStar Montgomery Medical Center Olney B
Holy Cross Germantown Hospital Germantown D
Holy Cross Hospital Silver Spring D
University of Maryland Prince George’s Hospital Center Cheverly D
Doctors Community Hospital Lanham D
MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center Clinton C
Fort Washington Medical Center Fort Washington C
Anne Arundel Medical Center Parole A
Howard County General Hospital Columbia B
Frederick Memorial Hospital Frederick B
University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center La Plata A
MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center Baltimore B
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center BaltimoreA
Johns Hopkins Hospital Baltimore A
University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center Glen Burnie B
MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital Baltimore C
MedStar Harbor Hospital Baltimore C
Mercy Medical Center Baltimore A
MedStar Union Memorial Hospital Baltimore C
University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus Baltimore C
University of Maryland Medical Center Baltimore C
Universtiy of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center Towson A
Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) Towson A
Bon Secours Hospital Baltimore C
St. Agnes Hospital Baltimore D
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore Baltimore C

 

D.C.
United Medical Center F
MedStar Washington Hospital Center D
Howard University Hospital D
George Washington University Hospital C
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital B
Sibley Memorial Hospital B

 

Look up a hospital on the Leapfrog’s website.

WTOP’s Colleen Kelleher contributed to this story.

Neal Augenstein

Neal Augenstein has been a general assignment reporter with WTOP since 1997. He says he looks forward to coming to work every day, even though that means waking up at 3:30 a.m.

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