13 Long Island hospitals receive top patient safety grades

Thirteen Long Island hospitals received the top A grade for patient safety in a national health quality group’s latest report, released Thursday.

Of the 23 Long Island hospitals graded by The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit founded by large companies to improve health care quality and safety, seven Northwell Health hospitals received As in the spring report.

They are Glen Cove Hospital, Huntington Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, Plainview Hospital, South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore and Syosset Hospital. New Hyde Park-headquartered Northwell Health is the region’s largest health system.

Also scoring A grades are three Catholic Health hospitals, St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in Roslyn, St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson and St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown; Stony Brook University Hospital and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital; and NYU Langone Hospital — Long Island in Mineola.

None of the Long Island hospitals scored lower than a C.

Leapfrog program analyst Alex Campione said that Long Island’s average A score is 57%, significantly higher than the 32% national average. This can be attributed to hospital networks “prioritizing patient safety,” Campione said. 

The spring report came with some milestones for area hospitals.

Catholic Health reported that St. Francis Hospital has received more A grades for patient safety than any hospital in New York State since Leapfrog launched the grading system in 2012, and NYU Langone is one of 4% of the 3,000 hospitals nationwide to receive 10 consecutive As from Leapfrog, the hospital said in a statement. Leapfrog independently confirmed this data.

The Washington, D.C.-based Leapfrog, which issues its report in the spring and fall annually, evaluates more than 3,000 hospitals over a three-month period based on 27 safety measures, including hand hygiene, the frequency and occurrence of hospital-acquired conditions and infections. The report grades hospitals from an A to F.

The grades can be used as a tool for patients when considering a hospital, as well as show hospital leadership and staff areas they need to improve, according to The Leapfrog Group. 

Two hospitals’ scores improved in Leapfrog’s most recent report while two did worse as compared with reports from November.

Long Island Jewish Medical Center received an A, an improvement from B, as did St. Catherine of Siena. 

Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead went to a B from an A compared with the fall report, while St. Joseph’s Hospital in Bethpage went from a B to a C.

Grades are calculated from a number of different areas by industry experts, according to The Leapfrog Group. Experts say that the grades keep hospitals accountable and should be used to help patients make an informed decision.

“They’re an excellent way to help you decide the safety issues that might exist in the hospital,” said Patricia Kelmar, senior director of Health Care Campaigns for consumer advocacy group PIRG. “They help you to understand the culture of the hospital — that they’re being transparent and counting errors.”

Janae Quackenbush, a director at the Healthcare Association of New York State, said that Leapfrog grades should not be the only factor in choosing a hospital for a procedure or treatment.

“Patients are encouraged to use all tools available to them to help make informed choices,” Quackenbush said. “This research should also include consulting with their doctors and other providers who are familiar with their unique medical history and personal needs.”

The Leapfrog Group was founded in 2000 to promote transparency in the health care industry. It publishes multiple data-driven reports a year for patients and members of the health care community.