Two Temecula Valley Area Hospitals Receive 'F' in Hospital Safety Grades

TEMECULA VALLEY, CA – Two of the regions hospitals are among the worst in the nation when it comes to overall patient safety, according to a new report released this week by a nonprofit founded by employers and health care providers. The Leapfrog Group announced its fall 2016 hospital safety rankings, a measure of how safe a hospital is for patients, and the report was dire for some area facilities.

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– two of which are located right here in the Temecula Valley.

Both Rancho Springs Medical Center in Murrieta and Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar failed the report. Each hospital had received a "C" grade the last time Leapfrog released their report, in the spring of this year.

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."

According to the report, Inland Valley scored particularly low in things like:

• Handwashing
• MRSA infections
• C. diff infections
• Dangerous bed sores
• Patient falls
• Surgical wound splitting open after surgery
• Serious breathing problems after surgery
• Accidental cuts or tears during surgery
• Staff recording patient medication
• Communication about medicines
• Communication about discharge
• Staff working together to prevent errors
• Hospital tracking and reducing risks to patients
• Hospital taking steps to prevent ventilator problem
• Specially trained doctors that care for ICU patients

As for Rancho Springs, here are some of the areas in which it failed, according to the report:

• Handwashing
• C. diff infection
• Dangerous bed sores
• Surgical wound splitting open after surgery
• Serious breathing problems after surgery
• Accidental cuts or tears during surgery
• Doctors don't order medications through a computer
• Staff recording patient medication
• Communication about medicines
• Communication about discharge
• Staff working together to prevent errors
• Having enough qualified nurses
• Specially trained doctors that care for ICU patients

Both Inland Valley and Rancho Springs are operated as a part of the Southwest Healthcare System. Patch reached out to the organization, for its thoughts on the recent grades.

"We are disappointed by the recently released grade report by Leapfrog, and respectfully believe that the scores do not accurately depict the outstanding care we provide to patients each day," a statement shared with Patch says.

"In fact, Southwest Healthcare System performs better than the national average for several key quality indicators.

Regardless, these scores have encouraged us to review certain individual measures and we are pleased that there are many areas where we have already improved since the time that the data was submitted earlier this year."

Nearby Temecula Valley Hospital was the only local facility to receive an "A" grade in this report.

"We are extremely excited and proud to have received an A rating from Leapfrog," said Darlene Wetton, CEO, Temecula Valley Hospital. "The safety of our patients is of the utmost importance at Temecula Valley Hospital and it is an honor to be recognized for our efforts in providing the highest standards of care."

Murrieta's Loma Linda University Medical Center location got a "B" and Menifee Valley Medical Center was given at "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 via Shutterstock)