McLaren Central Michigan hospital in Mt. Pleasant again received a “C” for the spring edition of a nationwide hospital safety survey.
It cited a lack of an updated computer system in its emergency department and anesthesia services as the reasons for the grade from the nonprofit Leapfrog Group, according to a statement from President Martin Tursky.
“One contributing factor leading to (the hospital) falling short this past cycle is related to computerized physician order entry systems,” Tursky said Thursday. In November, the hospital also received a “C” grade from the fall 2017 Leapfrog Group survey.
It plans to implement the new system, Cerner, later this year.
“Cerner will include (computerized physician order entry systems) for every department of the hospital. Although the current ‘C’ score is disappointing, it is important to understand that the absence of (computerized physician order entry systems) is not, in itself, a patient safety hazard,” he said.
The grade for hospital safety was released last week by nonprofit Leapfrog Group via its nationwide survey done in spring and fall each year.
Letter grades are assigned based on a hospital’s record of patient safety, and helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections using 27 measures of publicly-available hospital safety data.
The reports, calculated by patient safety experts and which are peer-reviewed, are done in an effort to collect and report information on hospital performance for purchasers to use when determining the best care.
Hospitals are asked to contribute as much information as possible but some information is not given to report.
Although McLaren Central Michigan was asked to provide certain information for the report, it did not.
The hospital declined to report information on leadership to prevent errors, tracking and reducing risks to patients, having enough qualified nurses, on hand washing, and staff working together to prevent errors.
“Completing the Leapfrog survey is a very time-consuming process,” Tursky said. “Although we support the work Leapfrog does, at this time we are focusing on efforts that will have a direct and positive impact on patient safety and quality outcomes for the community we serve. Current efforts in place include the expansion of our hospitalist program, working towards a Trauma Level IV designation and expanding our orthopedic center.”
Listed as below average in the report for McLaren Central Michigan were communication with doctors, and having specially-trained doctors to care for intensive care unit patients.
“This Leapfrog grade consists of data pulled from patient experience surveys from 2016-2017,” Tursky said. “Since then, we have seen improvement with our physician communication.”
Reported as above average was communication about medicines, communication with nurses, and responsiveness of hospital staff.
Also reported as above average were procedures such as checking for bed sores, helping patients move around if at risk of falling, and inserting or removing major tubes to prevent air or gas getting into a patient’s bloodstream.
An overall “B” grade was given to MidMichigan Medical Center - Gratiot in Alma for the spring report.
“We continue to strive for greater excellence in patient safety and are pleased to move up a grade level from last season’s scoring,” said Marita Hattem-Schiffman, President of MidMichigan Medical Centers in Alma and Mt. Pleasant.
In the fall survey, the hospital received a “C” grade which, at the time, was down from the “B” grade it received in spring 2017.
Below average scores were reported in the spring report in having effective leadership to prevent errors, having enough qualified nurses and having specialty trained doctors to care for ICU patients.
A below average score was reported for Clostridium Difficile, which is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, and fever.
Clostridium Difficile can spread via contaminated equipment or by providers who fail to properly wash their hands between patients.
It can be prevented by hand washing after caring for patients, and cleaning and washing hospital rooms and equipment.
Also reported as below average was the training of hospital staff to prevent a collapsed lung of a patient when inserting or removing tubes from their chest area, and assisting patients at risk of falling.
Above average was communication with doctors, nurses and responsiveness of hospital staff.
View full grades of each hospital here.