CHICAGO (June 5, 2019) – A new report was put out by Leapfrog, a nonprofit company that provides grades for American hospitals on 28 measures of safety, including hand hygiene, intensive care unit physician staffing, bedsores, and falls. In the Spring 2019 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, 5 Chicago hospitals earned low letter grades for protecting its patients. Highly regarded Northwestern was even downgraded to a “B”.
Progress for Illinois Hospital Safety
Approximately 160,000 lives are lost each year from avoidable medical errors.While Illinois ranks 14th in the nation when it comes to hospitals patient safety, according to the Leapfrog group’s new report, no Illinois hospital earned an F grade this year — an improvement over last fall when two Illinois hospitals received Fs. This improvement is critical because when compared to “A” hospitals, patients at “D” and “F” hospitals face a 92% greater risk of avoidable death.Overall, an estimated 160,000 lives are lost annually from the avoidable medical errors that are accounted for in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
Chicago hospitals receiving D grades for safety include:
- Mt. Sinai Hospital, 1500 South Fairfield Avenue, Chicago, IL 60608
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Loretto Hospital, 645 S. Central Avenue, Chicago, IL 60644-9987
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John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital, 1969 W. Ogden, Chicago, IL 60612-3785
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Jackson Park Hospital, 7531 S. Stony Island Avenue, Chicago, IL 60649-3993
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Weiss Memorial Hospital, 4646 N. Marine Drive, Chicago, IL 60640-1501
Overall, Leapfrog hospital safety grade showed 42 Illinois hospitals got As, 30 got Bs, and 33 got Cs. Among those in the Chicago area that got As are 10 Amita Health hospitals and all four NorthShore University HealthSystem hospitals.
Chicago hospitals receiving A grades for safety include:
- AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Bolingbrook, 500 Remington Boulevard, Bolingbrook, IL 60440-4988
- AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center GlenOaks, 701 N. Winthrop Avenue, Glendale Heights, IL 60139-1403
- AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center Hinsdale, 120 N. Oak Street, Hinsdale, IL 60521-3890
- AMITA Health Adventist Medical Center La Grange, 5101 S. Willow Springs Road, La Grange, IL 60525-2680
- AMITA Health Resurrection Medical Center Chicago, 7435 W. Talcott Avenue, Chicago, IL 60631-3746
- AMITA Health Saint Joseph Hospital Chicago, 2900 N. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60657
- AMITA Health Saint Joseph Hospital Elgin, 77 N. Airlite Street, Elgin, IL 60123-4912
- AMITA Health Saint Joseph Medical Center Joliet, 333 N. Madison Street, Joliet, IL 60435-6595
- AMITA Health Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center Chicago, 2233 W. Division Street, Chicago, IL 60622-8151
- AMITA Health St. Alexius Medical Center Hoffman Estates, 1555 Barrington Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60169-1019
- Edward Hospital, 801 S. Washington Street, Naperville, IL 60540-7499
- Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, 155 East Brush Hill Road, Elmhurst, IL 60126-2989
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Loyola Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, 701 W. North Avenue, Melrose Park, IL 60160-1692
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NorthShore University HealthSystem -Evanston Hospital, 2650 Ridge Avenue, Evanston, IL 60201-1613
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NorthShore University HealthSystem -Glenbrook Hospital, 2100 Pfingsten Road, Glenview, IL 60025
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NorthShore University HealthSystem -Skokie Hospital, 9600 Gross Point Road, Skokie, IL 60076-1257
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NorthShore University HealthSystem-Highland Park Hospital, 777 Park Avenue W., Highland Park, IL 60035
At least two big-name Chicago hospitals — Northwestern Memorial and Rush University Medical Center — were left off the A list, getting Bs instead. Northwestern slipped to a B, from an A in the fall, while Rush maintained its B.
Avoiding Errors, Injuries, Accidents, and Infections
Leapfrog Group’s report focuses strictly on patient safety. While you may feel confident having the greatest surgeon in the world perform your surgery, if you get an infection or there’s an error in the medications you’re given, you run the risk of being harmed or even killed from those problems.
Patients at D and F rated hospitals may face greater danger than patients at A rated hospitals.At A-rated hospitals, an estimated 3.2 people died of avoidable deaths per 1,000 patients admitted, whereas in D and F hospitals, 6.2 patients per 1,000 admitted died avoidable deaths, according to Leapfrog’s report. This is important because patients at hospitals that get D and F grades may face greater danger than patients at A hospitals.The good news is that patient safety seems to be a higher health care priority for hospital administrators. A number of local hospital leaders said they’re continuing to work to improve patient safety, including implementing new measures to reduce the number of infections and falls.
Hopefully, Chicago hospitals will continue seeing significant improvement in overall quality and safety performance indicators. To see ratings for hospitals beyond the Chicago area in Illinois or any other state, go to www.hospitalsafetygrade.org
When to Contact a Medical Malpractice Lawyer
Remember — Most hospital errors can be prevented. If yours wasn’t, contact us immediately. Survivors of hospital errors, injuries, and accidents can have a lengthy and painful road to recovery with additional medical expenses, loss of wages, and/or permanent disability. Please contact nationally recognized personal injury lawyer Mario Palermo at (630)684-2332 for a free consultation regarding the best approach to obtaining compensation for your injuries.