Report Shows Hospital Safety Needs Work
A study of 2,031 hospitals nationwide shows there is cause for concern when it comes to safety.
Most hospitals have many improvements to make, according to new safety ratings from Consumer Reports. More than 2,000 hospitals nationwide were evaluated for health and safety standards.
The report, which scored hospitals on a scale from 1 to 100, showed that about 180,000 patient deaths are caused by infections, surgical mistakes, and other medical mishaps. An additional 1.4 million people are harmed in hospitals.
The highest rated hospital on the list, Billings Clinic in Montana, received only 72 of 100 on the scale, while the lowest rated hospital, Sacred Heart Hospital in Chicago, received 16 out of 100.
Some innovations have been implemented recently, like electronic prescribing. This cuts down on errors, promoting safety. In fact, the Center for Disease Control estimates that since 2008, the rate of bloodstream infections have dropped 32 percent.
More information on the ratings can be found on the consumer report website.