East Ga. Regional Medical Center dished a ‘C’ in Georgia Hospital Safety Rankings

When you make a run to the hospital, you’re usually thinking about your health – not safety. But there is one group that has your back.

The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit founded by employers and healthcare providers, recently ranked 74 of Georgia’s hospitals as part of a 2017 Spring Safety Grade.

So, how did Statesboro’s East Georgia Regional Medical Center rank?

Average.

While the hospital showed above average results for prevention of infections, avoidable blood clots tugged on the “problems with surgery” category. Additionally, EGRMC showed below average results for “communications about discharge,” “communications about medications,” and the ordering of medications through a computer.

LeapFrog reports that EGRMC declined to report information on employee handwashing, staff recordkeeping, and how team members work together to prevent errors. Because of this, EGRMC received a score of 20, while the average is 75.80.

EGRMC received below average scores on safety problems, including dangerous bed sores, but excelled in prevention of patient falls.

EGRMC denied reporting whether the hospital employed enough qualified nurses. LeapFrog placed the “ICU patient care training,” “communication with nurses,” and “responsiveness of staff” categories all in the below average spectrum.

You can see the full analysis here.

In the Spring & Fall of 2016, EGRMC also scored a ‘C’ but in the Spring of 2015, the facility scored an A. The facility will be assessed again in the Fall.

NEARBY HOSPITALS:

• Wayne Memorial scored a B
• Candler in Savannah scored a C
• Meadows Regional in Vidalia scored a C
• Fairview Park in Dublin scored an A

No hospital in Georgia received an F, but only 13 received an A and five did pull a D. The group used statistics on medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections as part of a system to determine what a patient’s rick of infection or additional injury may be at Georgia hospitals. The rating stems from reports that 1,000 Americans die each day from preventable hospital errors.

“When we launched the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade in 2012, our goal was to alert consumers to the hazards involved in a hospital stay and help them choose the safest option. We also hoped to galvanize hospitals to make safety the first priority day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog.

NOTE: 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.