Hospital safety grades released for the fall of 2023 show half of local hospitals received an “A,” while four local hospitals received a grade of “C.”
The grades, which are published twice a year by nonprofit healthcare watchdog The Leapfrog Group, are based on data about infections, surgery and safety problems, staff and how hospitals work to prevent errors.
Out of the 14 hospitals in the local area, seven received A’s, including major Jacksonville hospitals UF Health, Mayo Clinic and Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville. Baptist Health received A’s for all four of their local hospitals.
“It’s quite an honor,” said Baptist Health President and CEO Michael Mayo. “What I think about is that every patient, their family, and their loved ones entrust their lives to us every day when their lives are interrupted by illness and injury. And we don’t take that lightly.”
Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside, which has been plagued by scandals over the past year or so, received a C.
Its Leapfrog grades dropped from straight A’s to B’s in recent years before falling to C’s last fall.
St. Vincent’s Medical Center Clay County also received a C, as did Southeast Georgia Health System – Camden Campus.
HCA Healthcare, which received an A for HCA Florida Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville and a C for HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital, said their local hospitals decided not to participate in Leapfrog’s latest survey, so their grades are based on publicly available data.
“The healthcare industry has seen an increase in surveys asking for inputs that don’t always focus on what matters most – clinical outcomes. Therefore, we paused our submissions while we determine if their metrics correlate with true hospital performance in purely patient outcomes. Given that HCA Healthcare has historically been rated highly by Leapfrog, the decision to pause our submissions was a difficult one,” a spokesperson said.
UF Health received an A and a B for its Jacksonville hospitals.
“This Leapfrog score is a dedication to excellence by our staff, physician partners and the entire team of people who support them. And it is a testament that patient safety is paramount to everything we do at UF Health. Our focus has always been continuous improvement, so that our outcomes reflect the extraordinary care that is provided in all of our facilities every day. We’re thrilled that those efforts are being recognized,” UF Health’s CEO said in a statement.
News4JAX has reached out to Ascension St. Vincent’s, Mayo Clinic, and Southeast Georgia Health System for comment.
You can view all of Leapfrog’s local hospital grades here.
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