Consumer Reports is ranking hospital safety state-by-state in its August issue. Some hospitals like Rockingham Memorial and Augusta Health rank high but two of our larger medical centers do not.
On a scale of 1 to 100, Martha Jefferson Hospital earned a 45 and the University of Virginia Medical Center got a 39.
Martha Jefferson and UVA Medical Center say the scores should not be the deal breaker when choosing a hospital.
UVA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jonathon Truwit said, "We are a leader in many areas so yeah, I'm a little surprised."
UVA was ranked poorly in three areas: patient becoming infected while being cared for, patients being readmitted and unclear instructions.
The chief medical officer says they are still digesting the Medicare data, some is old and some is new.
Dr. Truwit stated, "They don't really comment on is how well we care for a disease or a patient. This isn't what they can measure; they can only measure what's coming off the back end of a computer."
Martha Jefferson's scorecard is similar to UVA's. The hospital had two central line infections in 2011 and there is room for improvement on patient readmissions and communication.
MJH Vice President for Medical Affairs Dr. Michael Ashby said, "We want to prevent those. We don't want anyone come into our hospital and be harmed."
But Dr. Ashby says their move to Pantops will dramatically improve future safety scores with private rooms for patients and brand new equipment.
Dr. Ashby stated, "I think all of it is important and you can argue about whether their methods are right or not."
Rockingham Memorial Hospital was also ranked in the Consumer Reports article. It came in second in the state with a safety score of 63 out of 100. The valley-based hospital got good marks for dealing with infections, communication and scanning but they did not do well when it came to readmissions.
Only 18 percent of the nation's hospitals were ranked. The highest ranked hospital in the state, Bon Secours Regional Medical Center in Mechanicsville, scored a 67 out 100. The top ranked hospital in the country, the Billings Clinic in Billings, Montana got a 72. If you took the highest score and graded all the hospital on a curve, UVA and Martha Jefferson get a "C".
UVA Medical Center
Martha Jefferson Hospital
