Two Michigan Hospitals ‘Flunk’ Patient Safety

The Leapfrog Group—a national watchdog for hospital safety—grades healthcare facilities twice a year, and let's just say you don't want to end up with an "F," which is exactly where two Michigan hospitals landed this "marking period." Leapfrog's grading covers everything you expect from a place meant to heal you.

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Before we get into naming names, let's discuss what it takes to earn a failing hospital safety grade. Things like preventing infections, avoiding medical errors, and ensuring patient safety are all examined closely.

How to Fail Patient Safety in Michigan

Hospitals are assessed on critical safety issues such as surgical complications, infections, bed sores, patient falls, and even—brace yourself—death from treatable complications. So, if a hospital can't prevent a collapsed lung or a dangerous blood clot, it's not exactly filling us or LeapFrog with confidence.

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In short, these grades reflect whether hospitals are doing the bare minimum to protect patients from harm. And let me be clear: "bare minimum" should never be the goal when health and lives are at stake.

Two Michigan Hospitals Flunking Patient Safety

Now, let's get to the juicy part. Two Detroit, Michigan hospitals, Detroit Medical Center's Sinai-Grace Hospital and Detroit Receiving Hospital, dropped from a dismal "D" in the spring to a full-on "F" this fall. Less than 1% of hospitals earn this dubious honor, so spare the congratulations.

So what happened? Sina-Grace struggled with MRSA infections, blood leakage, and collapsed lungs. Detroit Receiving had its own set of issues, including surgical infections and patient falls that led to broken hips. It's a sad state of affairs for hospitals once known for safety.

Improving Patient Safety Starts With Keeping Good People

According to a report in MLive, a spokesperson for Detroit Medical Center said they don't participate in the Leapfrogs survey, but the results are published with "incomplete or dated information."

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From firsthand experience working in healthcare, I can tell you that tremendous facilities make mistakes. They're run by humans, after all. However, careless disregard for safety isn't something that should be treated lightly. It can only be improved by patients pressing hospitals and healthcare facilities to be better. In my opinion, the only way to do that is to pay good people on the front lines of Michigan healthcare what they are worth and treat them as valuable assets.