According to a watchdog organization, New York has the 47th worst record in the United States when it comes to hospital safety. New York’s ranking has been in a slow decline – dropping a full seven spots in the last five years.
The watchdog group, Leapfrog, was founded by healthcare employers and unions wanting to provide more public information about patient experiences at hospitals. Among other factors, the group considers the rate of medical errors, injuries and infections, and patient satisfaction.
According to LoHud.com, the group is “widely considered among the toughest graders” and gave 15 hospitals an “F” rating this year. Most hospitals receiving a failing grade catered mostly to low-income, minority groups. Of the hospitals that Leapfrog failed, almost 90 percent were rated “average” by Medicare and Medicaid.
Both the government agency and the watchdog organization use the same, federally available data. According to hospital trade groups, the discrepancy can be explained by the “conflicting, confusing and misleading information.” Others may point to the fact that Medicare and Medicaid would prefer not to draw negative attention to the poor quality of care offered at some of these hospitals.
The inferior care provided to lower-income patients points to a disturbing problem that is also evident in the lower Hudson Valley.
The Leapfrog grades for Hudson Valley hospitals are as follows:
Northern Dutchess Hospital (Rhineback) : B
Northern Westchester Hospital (Mount Kisco): B
Putnam Hospital Center (Carmel): B
Vassar Brothers Medical Center (Poughkeepsie): B
Columbia Memorial Health (Hudson): C
New York-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital (Bronxville): C
New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital: C
Nyack Hospital: C
Phelps Hospital (Sleepy Hollow): C
St. John’s Riverside Hospital (Dobbs Ferry): C
St. John’s Riverside Hospital (Yonkers): C
St. Joseph’s Medical Center (Yonkers): C
Westchester Medical Center (Valhalla): C
White Plains Hospital: C
HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley (Kingston): D
Montefiore New Rochelle: D
Source:
http://www.lohud.com/story/news/health/2017/10/31/ny-hospitals-safety-grades/816990001/