Dangerous hospitals can no longer hide.
This week, Consumer Reports called out “12 hospitals you might want to avoid,” and named names. All 12 had low scores on five categories of infection control, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data on MRSA, C. difficile, urinary catheters, central lines and post-surgical complications. The data came from October 2013-September 2014.
The magazine asked all 12 hospitals to respond. So far, eight have, and their statements were all over the map. Some are making positive changes, some are just waking up to the severity of the issue, while others are defiant.
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Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York, which claimed to have changed its culture and lowered its rate of hospital-acquired infections this year, got a new CEO last week.
Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, Illinois, finally implemented an antimicrobial stewardship program in January 2015. In August 2014, the hospital hired a pharmacist specializing in infectious diseases. (Why did it take so long? Were these things not a problem before?)
St. Petersburg (Florida) General Hospital said it was “proud to have been recognized as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission.” That recalls a 2011 MedCity News takedown of U.S. News & World Report hospital rankings, in which low-rated facilities looked for all kinds of ways to spin the news into something positive, because so many ratings are completely subjective.
Venice (Florida) Regional Bayfront Health also cited Joint Commission recognition.
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Fremont-Rideout Health Group in California offered some great PR-speak: “We are committed to patient safety and healthcare-associated infections are a major patient safety issue that Rideout Hospital takes very seriously,” that organization’s statement said. “Our commitment is to inspire our staff to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality to the patients we serve in our community.” Based on the CDC and Consumer Reports data, you’d better step up your game.
Rockdale Medical Center in Conyers, Georgia, blamed the messenger.
We are disappointed that the most recent Consumer Report [sic.] lists Rockdale among the lowest ranking for infection prevention during this time period. This information only represents a small portion of our hospital’s overall performance and does not reflect our most recent quality improvements and patient safety efforts. … Rockdale Medical Center is committed to quality and patient safety. We regularly monitor our performance and explore ways to improve our processes so we can ensure all of our patients have a safe and positive experience at our hospital.
Because American healthcare is the best in the world, right? (“USA! USA!”) And they would have gotten away with it if not for those meddling statistics.
Photo: Flickr user tv’s Spatch
