We all want to know just how safe our local hospitals are don’t we?The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit watchdog organization that serves as a voice for health care purchasers. Leapfrog is the nation’s premier advocate of hospital transparency—collecting, analyzing and disseminating hospital data to inform patients (and others) about the quality of care they can expect. Leapfrog just released the results of its 2017 Hospital Safety Scores. Let’s take a look at how our area hospitals did:
1. Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital received a “C.” Infection problems noted included infections in the blood when patients were in the ICU, and urinary tract infections. Surgical problems included death from serious but treatable complications, breathing problems, and accidental cuts and tears.
2. LewisGale Medical Center (Salem VA) received a “A.” Despite this high grade, infection problems included C. diff infections, urinary tract infections, and surgical site infections after colon surgery. Surgical problems also included death from serious but treatable complications.
3. LewisGale Hospital-Montgomery (Blacksburg VA) received a “B.” This hospital also encountered above average problems with blood infections during stays in the ICU, urinary tract infections. Reported surgical problems included death from serious but treatable complications and accidental cuts and tears.
4. Carilion New River Valley Medical Center (Radford VA) received an “A.” Experienced problems similar to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital but at a much lower rate.
Read the details of each hospital’s report card here.
My Take: The highest profile and “flagship” hospital in Western Virginia, Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, has some work to do to justify its top billing and Level 1 Trauma Center designation.