Jewish Hospital in Louisville Receives “F” Grade for Patient Safety

Leapfrog Group, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit “patient safety watchdog” organization gave the Jewish Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky an F grade. Only nine of the 2,633 hospitals assessed received an F for the fall 2019 grades. Since 2012, an F grade has only been given to four separate facilities in Kentucky.

According to WLKY, Jewish Hospital and other hospitals formerly controlled by KentuckyOne Health, Inc. are now under the ownership of the University of Louisville. As of November 1, U of L renamed the hospital as U of L Health – Jewish Hospital.

Dr. Jason Smith is the chief medical officer for U of L Health. In a statement to Louisville Business First, he said the quality issues and media reports regarding the hospital’s care have been a driving force in implementing initiatives to perform better and provide quality patient care.

While Smith pointed out the data that Leapfrog assessed was not generated by U of L, he said, “Regardless of our score, we will never be satisfied with anything other than providing top-quality patient care and continually striving to improve our service to our patients, our communities and the state as a whole. Kentucky residents deserve nothing less.”

In 2012, The Leapfrog Group decided to draw attention to the issue of medical malpractice in the country with their rating system, which provides A-F grades to hospitals around the country. The organization calculates safety grades for over 2,600 general acute care hospitals. Not every hospital in the US receives a safety grade because the calculations are dependent upon publicly available data.

The methodology uses 28 data measures, which include areas like leadership structures and systems, culture measurement, doctor communication, hand hygiene, discharge information, ICU physician staffing, staff responsiveness, falls and trauma, pressure ulcer rate, the death rate among survival inpatients with serious treatable conditions, and more.

The letter grades give patients an idea of how safe a hospital is. Critical information like how likely patients are to experience accidents, injuries, errors, or harm while at the hospital are included. The grades are updated twice a year and are used by national and regional health plans to educate users on the importance of choosing a safe hospital.

In comparison to U of L Health – Jewish Hospital and other facilities operated under the command of the university, all hospitals owned and managed by Louisville-based Norton Healthcare Inc. received A grades. Facilities within the Baptist Healthcare System received Bs and Cs.

It’s important for patients to understand that even hospitals with high marks can make mistakes. If you’ve been injured as a result of physician negligence, you have legal rights and options. An attorney from Thomas Law Offices can review your case and help you seek compensation to recover from your physical, emotional, and financial losses. Contact us today for more information.