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April 25, 2018

Here's how Maine hospitals fared in latest Leapfrog safety rankings

Photo / William Trevaskis Lois Skillings, president and CEO of Mid Coast-Parkview Health in Brunswick, announced this week that Mid Coast Hospital is one of only 49 in the nation to receive an “A” in the biannual Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades every grading cycle since 2012.

Six Maine hospitals received “A” grades in the spring 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades released in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Two out of 14 acute care hospitals in Maine that were reviewed — Central Maine Medical Center, which is based in Lewiston, and St. Joseph Hospital of Bangor — received “C” grades, while the remaining six received “B” grades.

The bi-annual grading assigns “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” and “F” letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the United States and is the nation’s only rating focused entirely on errors, accidents, injuries and infections that collectively are the third leading cause of death in the country.

Out of 2,500 hospitals graded nationwide, 30% earned an “A,” 28% earned a “B,” 35% a “C,” 6% “D,” and 1% received a failing grade of “F.”

The five states with the highest percentage of “A” hospitals this spring are Hawaii, Idaho, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Virginia.

Hospitals with “F” grades are located in California, Washington, D.C., Florida, Iowa, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey and New York.

Maine hospitals that received an “A” are: Maine Coast Memorial Hospital in Ellsworth, The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle, Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, Mercy Hospital of Portland, SMCH Biddeford Medical Center and York Hospital.

Mid Coast Hospital: Straight A's since 2012

Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick is one of only 49 “Straight A” hospitals in the United States to be awarded an “A” every grading cycle since 2012.

“Mid Coast Hospital is honored to be recognized among only 49 hospitals in the United States to maintain perfect quality scores since the inception of the Hospital Safety Grade,” Lois Skillings, president and CEO of Mid Coast–Parkview Health, said in a news release. “The consistency of this measure assures us that our hard work and dedication to continuously improving quality and patient care is on par with our mission to provide outstanding healthcare in our community.”

“Only a very select group of hospitals nationally continue to earn an ‘A’ Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade year after year,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “ It shows an unbroken commitment to protecting patients from preventable errors and accidents that harm and even kill too many people in our country every day.”

Mercy Hospital in Portland, a member of EMHS, was awarded an “A” for the fourth time in a row.

“Our safety and quality outcomes are a direct result of employees, medical staff, and volunteers working together as a coordinated team to deliver the highest level of care to our patients,” Mercy Hospital President Charlie Therrien said in a news release.

How the other hospitals fared

“B” grades were awarded to: Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport, Cary Medical Center in Caribou, Maine General Medical Center in Augusta, Maine Medical Center in Portland, and St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Lewiston.

There were no Maine hospitals on the list with a “D” or an “F.”

Information on Maine hospitals graded by Leapfrog with further details are available here.

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