South Georgia Medical Center Holds Steady with ‘B’ Health Safety Rating

Fifteen Georgia hospitals scored an “A’’ grade on patient safety in the latest Leapfrog Group report. Lowndes County’s hospital was not one of them.

The ratings, which were released on Tuesday, show that rougly one-fifth of the state’s hospitals evaluated received an ‘A’ grade, up slightly from 2017 but still below the national average of 30% of state hospitals receiving A grades.

Where the hospital excelled:

• Prevention of MRSA infections
• Prevention of urinary tract infections
• Prevention of C. diff infections
• Prevention of infections in the blood
• Avoidance leaving surgical parts in patients during surgery
• Preventing collapsed lungs after surgery
• Preventing blood clots after surgery
• Preventing patient falls
• Preventing bed sores

Where the hospital needs improvement:

• Preventing death from preventable conditions after surgery
• Communication about discharge
• Communication about medications
• Communication with nurses
• Responsiveness of hospital staff

What information did South Georgia Medical Center decline to share?

• Handwashing practices for staff
• Practices of staff working together to prevent errors
• Process of tracking and reducing risks to patients
• Process of effective leadership to prevent errors
• Whether or not there are enough qualified nurses
• Whether or not there are qualified doctors for ICU patients

You can review the full score card here.