Pennsylvania's Safest, And Least Safe, Hospitals: Who's Doing Well, Who's Not, According to Study

Ever wonder which hospitals in Pennsylvania are the safest — and least safe? A nonprofit founded by employers and health care providers announced its fall 2016 hospital safety rankings this week, a measure of how safe a hospital is for patients in Pennsylvania.

At the state level, Pennsylvania was ranked 31st in the nation. Hawaii was ranked number one.

Hospitals were given a letter grade from A through F based on several factors. Of the 2,633 hospitals evaluated, 844 earned an “A,” 658 earned a “B,” 954 earned a “C,” 157 earned a “D” and 20 earned an “F.”

Leapfrog looked at medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections to determine the grades. The goal was to determine a patient's risk of further injury or infection if they visited a certain hospital.

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 ranked 131 Pennsylvania hospitals. Here are the grades the hospitals received:

• Abington Health Lansdale Hospital, Lansdale: A
• Bryn Mawr Hospital, Bryn Mawr: A
• Carlisle Regional Medical Center, Carlisle: A
• Chester County Hospital, West Chester: A
• Doylestown Hospital, Doylestown: A
• Evangelical Community Hospital, Lewisburg: A
• Frick Hospital, Mt. Pleasant: A
• Geisinger Medical Center, Danville: A
• Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital, Coal Township: A
• Grand View Health, Sellersville: A
• Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia: A
• Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia: A
• J. C. Blair Memorial Hospital, Huntingdon: A
• Jeanes Hospital, Philadelphia: A
• Meadville Medical Center, Meadville: A
• Paoli Hospital, Paoli: A
• Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey: A
• PinnacleHealth Community General Osteopathic Hospital, Harrisburg: A
• PinnacleHealth West Shore Hospital, Mechanisburg: A
• Pocono Medical Center, East Stroudsburg: A
• Roxborough Memorial Hospital, Philadelphia: A
• Sacred Heart Hospital, Allentown: A
• St. Clair Hospital, Pittsburgh: A
• St. Luke's Hospital - Anderson Campus, Easton: A
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia: A
• Thomas Jefferson University Hospital - Methodist Hospital Campus, Philadelphia: A
• University of Pittsburgh Medical Center - East Campus, Monroeville: A
• Washington Hospital, Washington: A
• Wayne Memorial Hospital, Honesdale: A
• Waynesboro Hospital, Waynesboro: A
• WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital, Gettysburg: A
• Williamsport Regional Medical Center, Williamsport: A
• Abington Memorial Hospital, Abington: B
• ACMH Hospital, Kittanning: B
• Aria Health - Torresdale Division, Philadelphia: B
• Butler Memorial Hospital, Butler: B
• Chambersburg Hospital, Chambersburg: B
• Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, Lewistown: B
• Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre: B
• Guthrie Robert Packer Hospital, Sayre: B
• Highlands Hospital, Connellsville: B
• Holy Spirit Hospital - A Geisinger Affiliate, Camp Hill: B
• Indiana Regional Medical Center, Indiana: B
• Jefferson Regional Medical Center, Jefferson Hills: B
• Lancaster General Hospital, Lancaster: B
• Lankenau Medical Center, Wynnewood: B
• Latrobe Hospital, Latrobe: B
• Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg, Bethlehem: B
• Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital, Darby: B
• Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, Philadelphia: B
• Mount Nittany Medical Center, State College: B
• Nason Hospital, Roaring Spring: B
• Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Philadelphia: B
• PinnacleHealth Harrisburg Hospital, Harrisburg: B
• Reading Hospital, West Reading: B
• Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hospital, Wellsboro: B
• St. Luke's Quakertown Hospital, Quakertown: B
• St. Luke's University Hospital - Bethlehem Campus, Bethlehem: B
• Suburban Community Hospital, East Norriton: B
• Uniontown Hospital, Uniontown: B
• UPMC Bedford Memorial, Everett: B
• UPMC Presbyterian, Pittsburgh: B
• Windber Medical Center, Windber: B
• Aria Health - Bucks County Division, Langhorne: C
• Aria Health - Frankford Division, Philadelphia: C
• Bradford Regional Medical Center, Bradford: C
• Brandywine Hospital, Coatesville: C
• Canonsburg General Hospital, Canonsburg: C
• Clarion Hospital, Clarion: C
• Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Johnstown: C
• Crozer Chester Medical Center, Upland: C
• Delaware County Memorial Hospital, Drexel Hill: C
• Easton Hospital, Easton: C
• Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia: C
• Einstein Medical Center - Elkins Park, Elkins Park: C
• Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, East Norriton: C
• Forbes Hospital, Monroeville: C
• Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, Bloomsburg: C
• Geisinger Community Medical Center, Scranton: C
• Gnaden Huetten Memorial Hospital, Lehighton: C
• Hanover Hospital, Hanover: C
• Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center, Lititz: C
• Heritage Valley Sewickley, Sewickley: C
• Holy Redeemer Hospital and Medical Center, Meadowbrook: C
• Jennersville Regional Hospital, West Grove: C
• Lancaster Regional Medical Center, Lancaster: C
• Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest, Allentown: C
• Lehigh Valley Hospital - Hazleton, Hazleton: C
• Lower Bucks Hospital, Bristol: C
• Memorial Hospital, York: C
• Mercy Health System - Nazareth Hospital, Philadelphia: C
• Monongahela Valley Hospital, Monongahela: C
• Palmerton Hospital, Palmerton: C
• Penn Highlands DuBois, DuBois: C
• Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia: C
• Phoenixville Hospital, Phoenixville
• Pottstown Memorial Medical Center, Pottstown: C
• Punxsutawney Area Hospital, Punxsutawney: C
• Regional Hospital of Scranton, Scranton: C
• Riddle Hospital, Media: C
• Saint Vincent Health Center, Erie: C
• Schuylkill Medical Center - East Norwegian St, Pottsville: C
• Schuylkill Medical Center - South Jackson St, Pottsville: C
• Somerset Hospital, Somerset: C
• Springfield Hospital, Springfield: C
• St. Luke's Hospital - Allentown Campus, Allentown: C
• St. Luke's Hospital - Miners Campus, Coaldale: C
• Taylor Hospital, Ridley Park: C
• Temple University Hospital, Philadelphia: C
• UPMC Altoona, Altoona: C
• UPMC Hamot, Erie: C
• UPMC Horizon, Greenville: C
• UPMC Jameson, New Castle: C
• UPMC McKeesport, Mckeesport: C
• UPMC Northwest, Seneca: C
• UPMC Passavant, Pittsburgh: C
• UPMC St. Margaret, Pittsburgh: C
• Warren General Hospital, Warren: C
• WellSpan Ephrata Community Hospital, Ephrata: C
• Wellspan Good Samaritan Hospital, Lebanon: C
• Wellspan York Hospital, York: C
• Western Pennsylvania Hospital, Pittsburgh: C
• Westmoreland Hospital, Greensburg: C
• Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, Wilkes-Barre: C
• Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh: D
• Allegheny Valley Hospital, Natrona Heights: D
• Heritage Valley Beaver, Beaver: D
• Moses Taylor Hospital, Scranton: D
• Penn State Health St. Joseph, Reading: D
• St. Mary Medical Center, Langhorne: D
• Ohio Valley General Hospital, Mckees Rocks: F

Patch file photo