New WA Hospital Safety Ratings: 16 Get 'A' Grade, 1 Gets 'D'

WASHINGTON — How safe are hospitals in Washington?

The answer varies from hospital to hospital, but you more than likely can find at least one nearby facility where you’re in good hands, according to new safety grades released by a national watchdog organization focused on improving health care in the United States.

The Leapfrog Group on Wednesday released the fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade, which assigns a letter grade to the nation’s general hospitals based on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents, injuries, and infections that kill or harm patients.

This year’s list reviewed just over 2,900 hospitals, the largest number of hospitals ever graded.

"As the pandemic continues, we all have heightened awareness of the importance of hospitals in our communities and in our lives,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, in a news release. “It is critical that all hospitals put patient safety first."

Now we have more information on more hospitals than ever before, so people can protect themselves and their families,” Binder said.

Here are the rankings for Washington, according to Leapfrog:

A grade

• EvergreenHealth, Kirkland
• Kadlec Regional Medical Center, Richland
• Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, Vancouver
• MultiCare Covington Medical Center, Covington
• Overlake Hospital Medical Center, Bellevue
• PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center, Vancouver
• PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center, Bellingham
• St. Anthony Hospital, Gig Harbor
• St. Clare Hospital, Lakewood
• St. Joseph Medical Center of Tacoma, Tacoma
• St. Michael Medical Center, Silverdale
• Swedish Edmonds Hospital, Edmonds
• Swedish Health Services Issaquah, Issaquah
• Swedish Medical Center Cherry Hill, Seattle
• Swedish Medical Center First Hill, Seattle
• Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle

B grade

• Astria Toppenish Hospital, Toppenish
• MultiCare Deaconess Hospital, Spokane
• Multicare Good Samaritan Hospital, Puyallup
• MultiCare Valley Hospital, Spokane Valley
• Olympic Medical Center, Port Angeles
• PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center, Longview
• Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, Everett
• Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center, Spokane
• Skagit Valley Hospital, Mount Vernon
• St. Anne Hospital, Burien
• St. Francis Hospital of Federal Way, Federal Way
• Swedish Medical Center Ballard, Seattle
• Tacoma General Hospital, Tacoma
• Trios Women's and Children's Hospital, Kennewick
• University of Washington Medical Center - Montlake Campus, Seattle
• Valley Medical Center, Renton

C grade

• Capital Medical Center, Olympia
• Cascade Valley Hospital, Arlington
• Central Washington Hospital, Wenatchee
• Harbor Regional Health Community Hospital, Aberdeen
• Harborview Medical Center, Seattle
• Island Hospital, Anacortes
• MultiCare Allenmore Hospital, Tacoma
• MultiCare Auburn Medical Center, Auburn
• Providence Centralia Hospital, Centralia
• Providence Holy Family Hospital, Spokane
• Providence St. Mary Medical Center, Walla Walla
• Providence St. Peter Hospital, Olympia
• Samaritan Hospital, Moses Lake
• Trios Southridge Hospital, Kennewick
• University of Washington Medical Center - Northwest Campus, Seattle
• Yakima Valley Memorial, Yakima

D grade

• EvergreenHealth Monroe, Monroe

To determine each hospital’s grade, a panel of medical experts selected 30 evidence-based measures of patient safety such as postoperative sepsis, blood leakage and kidney injury. They then determined the weight of each measure based on evidence, opportunity for improvement and patient impact.

Data on each measure was collected through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Information from the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, available to all hospitals to complete, also affects grades.

Currently, Leapfrog does not assign grades to military or Veterans Administration hospitals, critical access hospitals, specialty hospitals, children’s hospitals or outpatient surgery centers.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade methodology has been peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Patient Safety.

The full methodology for the 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is available online.

Findings from the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade include:

• Thirty-two percent of hospitals received an "A” grade; 26 percent received a "B," 35 percent received a "C," 7 percent received a "D," and less than 1 percent received an "F.”

• The five states with the highest percentages of "A" hospitals are Virginia, North Carolina, Idaho, Massachusetts and Colorado.

• There were no "A" hospitals in Delaware, Washington, D.C. and North Dakota.