Mercy Health Hospital Gets 'A' For Patient Safety

LORAIN, OH — Mercy Health has completed a remarkable turnaround. The hospital has graded out as one of the safest hospitals for patients in Ohio. One year ago, Mercy was one of the only hospitals in Ohio to get an 'F' for patient safety, according to a report from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit composed of healthcare employers and staffers.

To come up with the grades, Leapfrog looks at medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections. The goal is to determine what a patient's risk of further injury or infection is if they visit a certain hospital.

Mercy installed new best practices, reduced its rate of post-surgery infections, decreased its overall safety issues and created a better network of communication and leadership among its staff. Mercy now rates among the best hospitals in the nation in most safety practices.

Mercy Regional had been on a downward slope for patient safety for the past few years, according to Leapfrog. The hospital received an 'A' grade in Spring 2014, a 'B' in Fall 2014, a 'B' in Spring 2015, a 'C' in Fall 2015, a 'C' in Spring 2016, and a 'D' in Fall 2016. Then it received its first 'F' in spring 2017.

The ignominious distinction must have spurred action at the hospital, because in fall 2017, the hospital had flipped the script and gotten an 'A' grade for patient safety. It's a trend toward better patient safety that continued throughout the year, earning Mercy another 'A' for spring 2018.

“The national numbers on death and harm in hospitals have alarmed us for decades. What we see in the new round of Safety Grades are signs of many hospitals making significant improvements in their patient safety record,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog, said in a release.

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