The Leapfrog Group, a national non-profit dedicated to increasing transparency in healthcare, has just published its spring 2024 hospital safety rankings. Among the hospitals evaluated were Peoria’s three major medical establishments: OSF HealthCare St. Francis Medical Center, Carle Health’s Methodist, Proctor Hospitals. Regretfully, all three were awarded only average ‘C’ grades. The rating takes into account data from individual hospitals and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, analyzing 31 safety parameters which span across infection control, surgical procedures, and staff communication.
Carle Health Pekin Hospital also received a ‘C’ grade, while the Graham Hospital in Canton was given a ‘D’. OSF St. Mary Medical Center in Galesburg stood out as the highest-rated institution within the Journal Star coverage area, receiving an ‘A’.
Examining the specifics, OSF St. Francis performed commendably in managing MRSA infections, preventing the incidence of harmful objects being left inside patients’ bodies, and averting serious occurrences such as broken hips, collapsed lungs, and air embolisms. The hospital also showed competency in communication and the use of computer technology in drug administration. However, it displayed weaknesses in handling blood and urinary tract infections and post-operative issues like sepsis and colon site infections.
Methodist hospital scored highly in preventing surgical mishaps and harmful post-operative events. Despite these, the hospital’s weak performance was evident in areas like infection control, especially concerning sepsis, and applications concerning medication administration and patient-discharge communications.
Proctor performed decently in preventing urinary tract infections, yet it struggled with preventing Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) and sepsis infections post-surgery. Proctor received positive recognition for the prevention of harmful events, but less satisfactory scores in areas like collapsed lungs prevention, computer protocols for patient medication, and patient-discharge communications.
Carle’s Pekin establishment offered only average performance for preventive measures against C. diff infections and was marked below average in dealing with patient falls. The hospital needs further improvements in prescription handling, computer usage and communication.
On the other hand, Graham Hospital, despite its inferior ratings, showed potential in preventing harmful post-surgery events. Nonetheless, it still has extensive work ahead with areas like fall and injury prevention, computer-based procedures, and hand hygiene practices.
Lastly, OSF St. Mary’s hospital in Galesburg demonstrated excellence in most safety procedures, except for prevention of collapsed lungs. It showed the effectiveness of its computer procedures and safety administration and teamwork, albeit the hand hygiene practices need significant improvement.