Maine hospitals once again scored high in patient safety grades from the Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization for the health care industry.
The group released grades this week for nearly 3,000 U.S. general hospitals based on over 30 measures of patient safety.
Among 15 Maine hospitals that were graded, seven received an “A,” four received a “B,” and four received a “C.”
Ranging from A to F — best to worst — each grade sums up a hospital’s ability to protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections, the Washington, D.C.-based group said. Leapfrog conducts its assessments in the spring and fall each year, based on information provided voluntarily. Not all general hospitals are graded; for example, some do not provide enough data to meet Leapfrog’s standards.
The group began the gradings two decades ago. Most of this spring’s top-graded hospitals in Maine were repeat performers. For example, Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston received its seventh consecutive A.
But there were some surprises.
Franklin Memorial Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Farmington, received a C after racking up five A’s and a B over the past three years.
In contrast, MaineGeneral Medical Center, a 198-bed facility in Augusta, scored an A for the first time since the spring of 2019.
Maine ranked 11th among the states this spring for the highest ratio of A-list hospitals, with a percentage of 43.8%. Maine also ranked 11th last fall, when seven of 17 graded hospitals received the top mark.
But those ranks represent a decline from the No. 3 spot Maine held in the spring of 2021. Nine of 16 hospitals got an A in that evaluation. In fact, the state has consistently ranked high nationally.
Last December, the Leapfrog Group hailed Maine with an award as the “Top State of the Decade for Patient Safety,” and noted that it has ranked No. 1 in the percentage of A-list hospitals more times than any other state.
Across the U.S. this spring, 33% of hospitals received an A, 24% received a B, 36% received a C, 7% received a D, and less than 1% received an F, according to Leapfrog.
“Hospital safety is now more important than ever. A hospital’s sustained commitment to patient safety and health care quality saves lives,” said Peter Hayes, president and CEO of the Healthcare Purchaser Alliance, a coalition of over 50 Maine organizations working to improve health care quality and value.
The alliance also serves as a regional representative of the Leapfrog Group. “By using the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, patients and their families can make the best selection for where to seek care,” Hayes said in a news release.
More information, including the complete rankings and individual hospital scoresheets, are available here.