How did MS Coast hospitals perform in 2021 national safety report? One got a D.
Merit Health Biloxi got the worst grade of any hospital in the state in a recent evaluation of hospital safety around the country.
Merit was the only facility in Mississippi to get a D in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a report produced twice a year by a healthcare nonprofit. None of the 44 hospitals evaluated in Mississippi got an F.
The grades are based primarily on data reported to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and a survey of hospitals. The scores are intended to show how effectively a hospital protects patients from mistakes and preventable harms.
Memorial Hospital in Gulfport was one of 19 facilities to get a C.
Merit Health Biloxi scored particularly poorly in Practices to Prevent Errors, earning only 40 points compared to the average score of 85.77. The facility was ranked below average in communication about discharge and medication, and safe administration of medication.
It also ranked below average in several areas relating to preventing infection, including infection in the blood and sepsis after surgery.
In an emailed statement, marketing manager Amy Bowman said the report helped Merit Biloxi “identify areas for improvement.”
“While we are naturally disappointed with the overall rating for Merit Health Biloxi, we remain committed to our patients receiving high quality care, and we have implemented processes to address our current Leapfrog scores, including reinforcing the use of computerized physician order entry and bar coding medication administration — technologies that support documentation and safety,” she said in an email. “Our hospital is on a path of continued improvement, and we are confident that we will continue making progress in the future.”
When it was previously ranked in spring 2021 and 2020, Merit Health Biloxi earned a C.
For Memorial Hospital at Gulfport, the C was an improvement over its lowest grade of the last few years, a D in Fall 2020.
Memorial scored worse than average on safety problems, particularly on preventing bed sores, patient falls and “harmful events.”
In an emailed statement, Senior Vice President for Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Dumal said Memorial is “always evaluating and improving our standards.”
“Leapfrog is a guide to help us review specific areas and requires input based on their parameters,” the statement continued. “We have and will continue to reflect those improvements using this particular grading system.”
Here are the grades for other South Mississippi hospitals:
- Singing River Pascagoula: A
- Singing River Ocean Springs: A
- Singing River Gulfport: A
- Ochsner Hancock: A
- Highland Community Hospital in Picayune: C
- George Regional Hospital: A
Leaders of Singing River and Ochsner hospitals, which are operated under a strategic partnership, touted their scores in a press release last month.
“This ‘A’ rating is reflective of the hard work and relentless dedication of our team members to our core value of ‘Quality is in our DNA,’” said Lee Bond, CEO of Singing River Health System. “It is a measurable reflection of their commitment to excellence.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2021 at 12:10 PM.
