MIAMI – When you're sick or injured, you depend on your neighborhood hospital to help you feel better, but a new report shows some South Florida hospitals do the complete opposite.
From patient falls to medication mix-ups, the non-profit group Leapfrog looks at everything and just released its latest hospital report cards.
HOSPITAL GRADES: Click here to find South Florida hospital grades
"We are looking at the kinds of things that shouldn't happen, but unfortunately do," said Erica Mobley from Leapfrog.
Leapfrog evaluates a hospital's ability to protect patients, looking at errors, policies and procedures.
"Infections like c-diff and MRSA, deep pressure ulcers that penetrate the muscle or bone. blood clots. collapsed lungs," are among the issues Leapfrog investigates said Mobley. "Even horrible things that we don't like to think about like leaving objects in the body during surgery."
Leapfrog graded 2,600 hospitals in all 50 states. There were plenty of A's, like all the Memorial Healthcare System hospitals, but here in South Florida, there were also a few C's, and even a few D's.
Along with the Memorial system, the Cleveland Clinic and Kendall Regional also scored A's. B grades went to Holy Cross Hospital and Aventura Hospital.
Meanwhile, all of Broward Health hospitals, and every Baptist Health hospital in Miami-Dade County received a C.
Only five-percent of hospitals in the entire country received a D grade, with three in South Florida.
According to Mobley, Jackson North Medical Center in North Miami Beach received the low grade due to an extremely high infection rate.
"We have been focused on implementing best practices in quality and safety at all of our facilities and have seen significant progress in many areas," said a Jackson Health spokesperson in a statement to Local 10.
In Broward, Leapfrog gave a D to Plantation General Hospital, who declined to discuss their low grade.
"They didn't staff their ICU with the types of physicians that can be effective in reducing mortality," Mobley said.
The final South Florida D was awarded to the University of Miami Hospital which was cited for poor patient communications and lack of technology to prevent medication errors.
"It is nearly impossible to compare hospitals without consideration of the varied factors that make up what is an extremely complex environment," claimed a UM spokesperson in a statement. "Regardless of any rating, we are committed to relentless efforts in improving quality, safety, and service across our health system."
The bottom line is thapeople need to be looking at hospitals and talking to their doctors and do that when they are well.t Leapfrog has made it easy to check your hospital. Read up on potential problems and make educated healthcare decisions before you need to be admitted.