How did MS Coast hospitals perform in 2022 national safety report? Here are the grades.
Report cards are out for area hospitals and plenty have made the honor roll. Four Mississippi Coast hospitals earned A ratings for safety practices, according to the Leapfrog Group.
Ochsner Medical Center Hancock in Bay Saint Louis earned an A rating. Ochsner received high marks in elective outpatient surgery, maternity care, medication safety and error prevention.The center’s last seven ratings have been A’s.
Three of the A-rated hospitals belong to Singing River: Singing River Gulfport, Singing River Ocean Springs and Singing River Pascagoula.
“We are proud of this national ‘A safety grade in light of the pandemic,’” said Tiffany Murdock, Interim Chief Executive Officer of Singing River Health System. “Our healthcare workers worked tirelessly around the clock to provide quality care during a time with so much uncertainty. Looking ahead, our healthcare team will strive to always find healthcare solutions for our patients, while providing them with the quality care and security they deserve.”
Singing River’s Gulfport, Ocean Springs and Pascagoula hospitals each ranked high in error prevention, medication safety, maternity care, critical care and elective outpatient surgery.
This is the fourth year (seventh rating period) in a row that Ocean Springs Hospital earned an A for safety practices. With the exception of a B in fall 2020, Gulfport has also received As in the last four years.
Ocean Springs improved B ratings in 2019 to earn A ratings in the last three years. The majority of what has improved since 2019 has been in preventing infections.
Leapfrog is a nonprofit organization that focuses on improving the quality, safety and transparency of the country’s health system. The organization grades nearly 3,000 hospitals twice per year. Six Coast hospitals were included on this spring’s list.
Merit Health Biloxi received the lowest safety grade on the Coast, earning a D. The hospital dropped to a D rating in fall 2021 and earned C ratings from fall 2020 to spring 2021.
Merit received low ratings in these areas:
- blood and urinary tract infections
- patient falls and injuries
- safe medication administration and communication; responsiveness of hospital staff
- communication with doctors and nurses
- specially trained doctors care for ICU patients
The hospital’s problems with surgery included sepsis infection after surgery, dangerous objects left in patients’ bodies and serious breathing problems after surgery.
Memorial Health System in Gulfport earned a C. In spring 2019, Memorial had a B safety rating. In fall 2020, that rating dropped to a D. The hospital ranked well below average in deaths from treatable serious complications. Serious breathing problems after surgeries and dangerous bedsores were also issues.
This year, Memorial ranked high in preventing errors, including support for nursing workforce and error prevention.
The hospital also ranked high in administering and ordering medications, early elective deliveries, screening newborns for jaundice before discharge and critical care.
The safety grade is based on more than 30 performance measures from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Leapfrog also uses supplemental data and surveys the hospitals.
This story was originally published May 13, 2022 at 1:57 PM.
