A new report says patient safety is still declining in Michigan hospitals compared to before the pandemic.
Bret Jackson heads the Economic Alliance for Michigan, which issued the report in partnership with the Leapfrog Group.
Jackson said a few years ago, Michigan was in the top 10 in the nation for protecting patients from things like medical mistakes, injuries and accidents after admission, and hospital-acquired infections. Now, it's No. 23.
"That's disconcerting," he said. "We're talking about things that happen to patients that they didn't have when they walked into a hospital, like infections, getting the wrong medication, or the wrong dose — things that the patient doesn't have control over."
And some hospitals in Michigan are clearly performing worse on patient safety outcomes than others, he said.
"We want patients to take a look at these hospital safety grades and make educated choices about where they're seeking care," Jackson said. "There is a difference as to how safe and what the quality is from place to place."
Individual hospital scores can be looked up here.
The Fall 2023 term of the report graded 82 hospitals in Michigan. Of those, 24 hospitals earned an “A,” 27 a “B,” and 27 a “C.”
Three hospitals received a "D" for patient safety: DMC-Receiving, DMC-Sinai Grace, and McLaren Oakland.
McLaren-Flint hospital received an "F."
DMC and McLaren did not respond to a request for comment.
Michigan Medicine with University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor is one of only 18 hospitals in the country that has earned an “A” for patient safety since the beginning of the Leapfrog Group's grades in 2012.
The Michigan Health & Hospital Association said in a statement that the fall 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades continue to include data that were "significantly distorted by the once-in-a-century COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic posed unique challenges to continuing the hard-fought gains of hospitals on patient safety. The hospital field is united in redoubling our efforts to improve quality now and into the future."
MHA also said scorecards and ratings are only one source of information and should not be the only source relied on by people choosing a hospital.
"Connecting with a care team that focuses on building a trusting, comfortable relationship with a patient can make a meaningful difference in patient outcomes and satisfaction," the group said.
