How safe are hospitals in the Charlotte area? Watchdog group releases new scores
Charlotte’s two biggest hospitals are among the safest in the country, according to a new report released by a health-care industry watchdog group.
Atrium Health’s Carolinas Medical Center in Dilworth and Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Elizabeth were given A’s by The Leapfrog Group.
But several hospitals in the Charlotte suburbs received C’s.
The scores were released Monday as part The Leapfrog Group’s biannual Hospital Safety Grades. Leapfrog is a national nonprofit “focused on health care safety and quality,” according to its website. Monday’s report encompassed more than 2,600 health care facilities — including 81 in North Carolina.
Hospitals were graded on 27 metrics that scored how well they protected patients from “preventable errors, accidents, injuries, and infections,” Leapfrog said. The results are peer-reviewed by a panel of experts and include input from Johns Hopkins Medicine’s Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality.
“While the data does not yet include findings collected during the height of COVID-19, the data offers an indication of how well hospitals implemented fundamental safety precautions prior to the pandemic, an important factor in preparedness,” Leapfrog said in Monday’s release.
These Charlotte-area hospitals got an A grade:
▪ Atrium Health Union in Monroe
▪ Atrium Health University City in Charlotte
▪ Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte
▪ CaroMont Regional Medical Center in Gastonia
▪ Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center in Huntersville
▪ Novant Health Matthews Medical Center in Matthews
▪ Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center in Charlotte
▪ Novant Health Rowan Medical Center in Salisbury
Novant, Atrium score high
The results are a step up from 2018, when Leapfrog gave Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center and Carolinas Medical Center B grades, the Charlotte Observer previously reported.
Novant Health Matthews Medical Center was also included in Leapfrog’s 120 best hospitals in the U.S. last year.
In a statement Monday, Dr. Eric Eskioglu, executive vice president and chief medical officer at Novant Health, said it was “nice to see our efforts recognized by The Leapfrog Group.”
“I’m proud to say this newly released data reflects our continued dedication to reduce our hospital-associated infection rates to historic lows,” he said, pointing to team members’ “ability to model and predict hospital-associated infections before they even happen.”
Three additional Atrium facilities — Atrium Health Cabarrus in Concord, Atrium Health Pineville and Carolinas Medical Center Mercy — were also included in the rankings with a B grade.
A representative for Atrium did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment Monday.
Hospitals with ‘C’ grades
Some hospitals in the surrounding area didn’t fare as well.
Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville, Iredell Memorial Hospital in Statesville and Lake Norman Regional Medical Center in Mooresville all received C’s, according to Leapfrog’s report.
Several metrics for infections weren’t available at Davis and the hospital declined to report information on handwashing, effective leadership, qualified nurses and specially trained doctors for the ICU. But the report found it performed below average in terms of breathing problems, blood clots and accidental cuts and tears following surgeries.
Communications about medicines and safe medication administration also received a “below average” ranking.
Iredell Memorial appeared to perform “below average” in terms of surgical wounds splitting open, collapsed lungs and dangerous blood clots after surgery, the report states. The metrics of effective leadership, specially trained doctors for the ICU and responsiveness of hospital staff were also given “below average” rankings.
The level of infections at Lake Norman Regional were similarly marked “below average,” as was death from serious treatable complications in surgery and dangerous blood clots. The hospital’s effective leadership and responsiveness of staff were also “below average,” according to Leapfrog.
Representatives from Davis Regional Medical Center and Lake Norman Regional Medical Center did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
Meagan Kowalski, a spokesperson for Iredell Health System, which operates Iredell Memorial Hospital, said this was the first year the hospital participated in the report.
“We have not previously actively participated in Leapfrog’s ratings,” she told McClatchy News. “We initiated that participation in 2020, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, not all of the measures could be reassessed by our organization during this grading year. We look forward to continuing to improve our score in the future.”
