Wisconsin ranks 10th in nation on hospital safety

Wisconsin ranked 10th in the nation for the safety of its hospitals, with 42 percent of the state’s hospitals receiving “A” grades for their prevention of medical errors, according to a new report. 

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization focused on health care quality and safety, gives out grades to hospitals twice a year for how well they prevent errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

Wisconsin slipped from sixth place in the fall 2017 rankings, when 59 percent of hospitals received “A” grades.

Eight of the 22 hospitals in Wisconsin to receive A’s were in southeastern Wisconsin. They include:

• Aurora Medical Center of Kenosha – Kenosha
• Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington – Burlington
• Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center – Sheboygan
• Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Community Memorial Hospital – Menomonee Falls
• Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Froedtert Hospital – Milwaukee
• Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin St. Joseph’s Hospital – West Bend
• HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital – Sheboygan
• ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital – Waukesha

“B” hospitals in southeastern Wisconsin:

• Aurora Medical Center Grafton
• Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – Franklin
• Aurora West Allis Medical Center – West Allis
• Aurora Lakeland Medical Center – Elkhorn
• Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital
• Watertown Regional Medical Center

“C” hospitals in southeastern Wisconsin:

• Aurora St. Luke’s South Shore – Cudahy
• Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Milwaukee
• Aurora Sinai Medical Center – Milwaukee
• Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Ozaukee – Mequon
• Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – St. Francis – Milwaukee
• Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center – Milwaukee
• Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – St. Joseph – Milwaukee
• Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – Elmbrook Memorial Hospital – Brookfield
• Aurora Medical Center Summit – Summit

Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare – All Saints in Racine was the only hospital to receive a “D.” Wisconsin did not have any hospitals receive an “F.”

Of the approximately 2,500 hospitals graded nationally, 30 percent earned an “A,” 28 percent earned a “B,” 35 percent a “C,” six percent a “D” and one percent an “F.”

Hawaii was first in the U.S. for its hospital safety, followed by Idaho (2); Rhode Island (3); Massachusetts (4); Virginia (5); Colorado (6); Maine (7); Ohio (8); and North Carolina (9).

Leapfrog uses performance measures from its own hospital survey, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey and Health Information Technology Supplement to compile its rankings.