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