Redwood City Hospitals Receive 'A,' 'B' in Hospital Safety Grades

REDWOOD CITY, CA – Of the seven hospitals in San Mateo County recently graded on patient safety, three were listed as "average" when it comes to overall patient safety, according to a report released this week by a nonprofit founded by employers and health care providers. However, two Redwood City facilities ranked "above average."

The Leapfrog Group has announced its fall 2016 hospital safety rankings, a measure of how safe a hospital is for patients. At the state level, California was ranked 26th in the nation in the latest Hospital Safety Grade report. Hawaii was ranked number one.

More than 2,600 hospitals were graded across the United States, 266 of which are in California. A total of nine hospitals in the state received an "F" grade in the report — fortunately, for us, none of them are in the Peninsula region.

In California, there are 81 "A" hospitals up and down the state. There are another 63 "B" hospitals and 88 "C." The remaining 25 hospitals that were ranked in California received a "D."

To compile its rankings, the Leapfrog Group uses "30 evidence-based measures of patient safety," including things like patient injuries, accidents and infections. Numerical scores are converted into letter grades. Of the 2,633 hospitals evaluated nationwide, 844 earned an “A,” 658 earned a “B,” 954 earned a “C,” 157 earned a “D” and 20 earned an “F."

Here in Redwood City, Sequoia Hospital got an "A." The facility scored high in things like:

• training to improve safety
• effective leadership to prevent errors
• qualified nurses
• specially trained doctors for ICU patients
• staff works together to prevent errors

"For our caregivers, providing high quality care in the safest possible environment is of the utmost importance," said Sequoia Hospital President Bill Graham. "This recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to patient safety."

Some of the things Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Redwood City, which got a "B," scored well in include:

• handwashing
• communication about medicines
• staff works together to prevent errors
• tracking and reducing risks to patients
• communication with doctors

Elsewhere in the county, the following hospitals were graded as follows:

• Mills-Peninsula Health Services, Burlingame: A
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco: A
• San Mateo Medical Center, San Mateo: C
• Seton Medical Center Coastside, Moss Beach: C
• Seton Medical Center: Daly City: C

Hospitals given a B rating by Leapfrog had a 9 percent higher risk of avoidable death than A hospitals. That number jumps to 35 percent in C hospitals and 50 percent higher in D and F hospitals.

Leapfrog says that if you experience a medical emergency, patients should always go to the nearest hospital, no matter the grade.

• SEE ALSO: California's Safest, And Least Safe, Hospitals As Found in Health Report Card: Full List

Image courtesy: Sequoia Hospital