New York and Connecticut ranked among the worst states in the nation in terms of hospital safety, according to a recent survey.
According to the Leapfrog Hospital Survey covering the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, New York ranked 48th in the nation, coming in ahead of Alaska, Delaware and North Dakota, which were tied for last in 49th place. New York”™s ranking at 48 marks a drop from last year”™s rank of 47th in the country. Connecticut fared similarly, ranking 46th in the nation; the state fell 16 spots from its 2017 ranking of 30th.
As part of the survey, Leapfrog assigned letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety. States were then ranked based on the number of “A” hospitals they have compared with the total number of graded hospitals.
Hospital providers in Westchester and Fairfield counties were given mixed grades.
While no hospitals in Westchester earned an A, Northern Westchester Hospital was one of two in the county to receive a B grade. Leapfrog noted that the hospital had a lower number of MRSA infections than expected given its number of patients. However, the hospital had a higher number of infections in the urinary tract and the blood than expected given its patient count. The hospital”™s grade remained flat from its fall rating, which fell from a consistent A grade it had received since 2016.
White Plains Hospital was also awarded a B and reported lower  than expected numbers of MRSA, blood and urinary tract infections. The hospital”™s marks improved from last year”™s grade of a C.
Elsewhere, Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital, New York-Presbyterian Hudson Valley Hospital in Cortlandt Manor, and New York-Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital were each awarded a C, as were St. John”™s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers and the St. John’s Riverside Hospital Dobbs Ferry Pavilion.
Unity Hospital in Rochester, Northern Dutchess Hospital in Rhinebeck, HealthAlliance of the Hudson Valley-Broadway Campus in Kingston, and MidHudson Regional Hospital of Westchester Medical Center in Poughkeepsie each earned a C grade.
In Fairfield County, Stamford Health earned a B rating, while Bridgeport Hospital, Danbury Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, St. Vincent”™s Medical Center, and Yale-New Haven Hospital earned C grades.
Five hospitals in New York state received an A grade. Those hospitals were Catholic Health-Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Highland Hospital of Rochester, Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, NYC Health Hospitals-Metropolitan, Oneida Healthcare Center, St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, and St. Joseph”™s Hospital Health Center in Syracuse. Putnam Hospital Center in Carmel was the only hospital in the Lower Hudson Valley to receive the top grade.
In Connecticut, only two hospitals received the top grade: Bristol Hospital and The William W. Backus Hospital in Norwich.
The worst grades in New York were saved for five hospitals. Interfaith Medical Center, Brookdale Hospital Medical Center and Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, Brookhaven Memorial Hospital Medical Center in Patchogue, and Richmond University Medical Center in Staten Island each earned an F.
Founded in 2000, The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit that collects and reports hospital performance. More than 2,600 hospitals were issued a grade, which is derived from an analysis of publicly available data.
Surveys, and the subsequent news stories, like these are misleading and dangerous. At the end of the day, if you have any sort of serious health issue in Connecticut, you’d be wise to choose Yale New Haven over Bristol hospital.