How safe are Merced County hospitals? Here’s how local medical centers ranked in new report
Two Merced County hospitals are among the safest in the nation, according to a nonprofit organization that studies patient safety and care.
The group regularly releases Hospital Safety Grade reports for nearly 3,000 general hospitals across the United States.
These grades are based on critical factors, such as rates of preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.
In its most recent report, the organization graded health care facilities nationwide on a scale from A to F, with A representing the highest level of safety and F the lowest.
Here’s how local hospitals scored:
What are the safest hospitals in Merced County?
Out of 29 hospitals and medical clinics in Merced County, two received A grades for fall 2024.
Mercy Medical Center, 333 Mercy Ave. in Merced, excelled at having safe medication administration, good nursing and bedside care for patients and specially trained doctors to treat intensive care unit patients, according to the Leapfrog Group report.
Memorial Hospital Los Banos, 520 West St. in Los Banos, earned high marks for its leadership and effective practices to prevent medical errors, the report said.
How are hospitals graded by Leapfrog?
The Leapfrog Group grades hospitals on a scale of A to F based on “overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors.”
The group said it came up with its hospital safety grades by looking at up to 30 national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and other supplemental data sources.
Leapfrog then worked under the guidance of a panel of patient safety experts to select 22 “evidence-based measures” — divided into five key categories — and develop a scoring methodology.
Those categories are:
- Infections
- Problems with surgery
- Safety problems
- Practices to prevent errors
- Doctors, nurses and hospital staff
This story was originally published November 19, 2024 at 10:57 AM with the headline "How safe are Merced County hospitals? Here’s how local medical centers ranked in new report."
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