HOSPITAL SAFETY SURVEY Local Hospitals Receive "Average" Grade For Patient Safety
Reported by: Ashley Smith
Videographer: John Tincher
Web Producer: Ashley Smith
Also Contributing: Jeremy Bias
Reported: Jun. 7, 2012 7:39 PM EDT
Updated: Jun. 7, 2012 7:48 PM EDT
EYEWITNESS ONLINE WEBCAST VIDEO C L I C K T O P L A Y
Charleston
, Kanawha County
, West Virginia
Safety is one of the most important standards at a hospital. But a recent survey done by the non-profit group Leapfrog says patient safety isn't as high as it should be at several local hospitals.
On a letter based grading system Thomas Memorial, St. Francis, CAMC, and CAMC Teays Valley all received a 'C'. The survey looks at 26 different measures of patient safety and quality care. Categories include proper ICU staffing, prescribing the correct antibiotics, and even hand hygiene. Hospital officials say despite the poor grades of local hospitals, patient safety and overall care is a top priority.
"We want to ultimately ensure that patients receive the right care at the right time in the right place," said West Virginia Hospital Association Spokesman Tony Gregory.
Gregory says this is only one of many surveys local hospitals are involved in. However, he encourages looking at more complete surveys through the centers for medicare and medicaid services.
"It's fairly complex and presents some limitations in the type of quality and patient safety measures that aren't easily translated into a letter grade," said Gregory.
Other hospital officials say this survey lacks specific details on the score. However, they acknowledge some improvements could be made to give patients better peace of mind.
Find out more about this survey here: http://hospitalsafetyscore.org/2012/03/what-does-the-hospital-safety-score-mean/#more-64
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Ashley Smith
