Consumer Reports has updated its safety ratings of hospitals.
Consumer Reports assigns hospitals a safety score on a 100-point scale using federal and state government data in five categories: avoiding infections; avoiding readmissions; communicating about medications and discharge; appropriate use of chest and abdominal scanning; and avoiding serious complications.
The updated ratings include 2,031 hospitals compared with 1,159 hospitals in its original August 2012 ratings. Here are some of Consumer Reports' key findings from its new ratings:
• The average score for all hospitals was 49.
• The highest-scoring hospital, Bellin Memorial Hospital in Green Bay, Wis., was rated only 74.
• Nearly two-thirds of the 258 teaching hospitals included in the ratings had below-average scores.
Consumer Reports emphasized that its safety scores are only one indication of hospitals' safety: "Our ratings are an important measure, but they're not the only source you should consult. They don't, for example, assess how successful hospitals are at treating medical conditions. So before a planned hospital stay, consult multiple sources, such as Hospital Compare, run by the federal government, and The Leapfrog Group, an independent organization that tracks hospital safety and quality."
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Consumer Reports assigns hospitals a safety score on a 100-point scale using federal and state government data in five categories: avoiding infections; avoiding readmissions; communicating about medications and discharge; appropriate use of chest and abdominal scanning; and avoiding serious complications.
The updated ratings include 2,031 hospitals compared with 1,159 hospitals in its original August 2012 ratings. Here are some of Consumer Reports' key findings from its new ratings:
• The average score for all hospitals was 49.
• The highest-scoring hospital, Bellin Memorial Hospital in Green Bay, Wis., was rated only 74.
• Nearly two-thirds of the 258 teaching hospitals included in the ratings had below-average scores.
Consumer Reports emphasized that its safety scores are only one indication of hospitals' safety: "Our ratings are an important measure, but they're not the only source you should consult. They don't, for example, assess how successful hospitals are at treating medical conditions. So before a planned hospital stay, consult multiple sources, such as Hospital Compare, run by the federal government, and The Leapfrog Group, an independent organization that tracks hospital safety and quality."
More Articles on Patient Safety:
Do Hospital Rankings Enlighten or Confuse?Patient Safety Tool: Re-Engineered Discharge to Reduce Readmissions
Study: Nurse Understaffing Associated With Higher Infant Infection Rates