A newly released report with safety grade ratings for hospitals in the country scored multiple Lake and McHenry County hospitals with an “A” grade.
The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization, released its fall 2024 hospital safety grade results this month.
The organization grades nearly 3,000 U.S. general hospitals based on up to 30 measures of patient safety, like how well patients are protected from preventable medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.
The organization assigns an “A, “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” to individual hospitals.
The Leapfrog Group said the latest Grades show hospitals are making progress in patient safety across several performance measures, including notable improvements in healthcare-associated infections, hand hygiene and medication safety.
“Preventable deaths and harm in hospitals have been a major policy concern for decades. So, it is good news that Leapfrog’s latest Safety Grades reveal that hospitals across the country are making notable gains in patient safety, saving countless lives,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.
“Next, we need hospitals to accelerate this progress—because no one should have to die from a preventable error in a hospital,” Binder said.
In Lake County, “A” grades were given to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Lake Forest and Endeavor Health Hospital in Highland Park.
“At Advocate Condell Medical Center and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, our dedicated teams work tirelessly to provide the highest standards of safety and care for our patients. We’re honored to receive an “A” grade from the Leapfrog Group, which reflects our ongoing commitment to excellence in patient care,” said Karen Lambert, president of Advocate Health Care’s North Illinois Area and Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital.
Leapfrog awarded 19 Advocate Health hospitals an “A” rating for excellence in patient safety – the most A’s ever received by the health system’s network from Leapfrog, according to Advocate Health.
“It’s an honor to see our hospitals recognized for their unwavering dedication to patient safety and quality care,” said Dr. Scott Rissmiller, executive vice president and chief physician executive for Advocate Health.
“These grades are a testament to the relentless efforts of our health care professionals and the innovative strategies we employ to continually enhance the health and well-being of our communities. We are building on our shared legacy of excellence, growing impact and bringing the best together,” Rissmiller said.
Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan received a “C” grade.
The report said Vista East performs worse than average compared to other hospitals in the country when it comes to communication with patients and communication from the staff.
Vista Medical Center East previously received the same rating in 2023. It had previously received “F” and “D” grades in 2022 reports.
In McHenry County, both Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry and Northwestern Medicine Hospital in Huntley received an “A,” a grade they have consistently held.