Watchdog group grades Lexington hospitals; only one scores an A

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - The Leapfrog Group has released its biannual grades for hospitals across the country.

Only one Lexington hospital got an A.

Leapfrog has been analyzing hospital safety for more than 20 years, according to the group’s website. Nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide currently submit data for the group’s twice-yearly gradings.

Baptist Health Lexington is the only Lexington hospital that scored an A. The facility scored above-average marks in every subcategory of the surgery section.

Baptist Health had a below-average score in the handwashing subcategory. The hospital scored 15 points out of a possible 100.

Leapfrog says no hospital nationwide scored fewer than 15 points in that subcategory.

UK Good Samaritan Hospital, UK Chandler Hospital, Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East each scored a C.

Each hospital scored below-average marks on at least one part of the surgery outcome section. Each had above-average marks in other areas.

Statewide, Kentucky had some of the lowest marks in the country. 6.6% of the Commonwealth’s facilities scored A’s. Only four states had lower percentages.

You can find results for all participating hospitals here.

We’ve reached out to the hospitals for comment about the watchdog group’s report.

Baptist Health:

“We are proud of the A grade we’ve received the last 11 Leapfrog grading periods and appreciate our staff and physicians who continuously work to find innovative solutions and make improvements so we can provide the safe, quality care our patients deserve. We continue to focus on initiatives that will reflect the safe, exceptional care we provide our patients every day.”

“Our Leapfrog score of A demonstrates our strong commitment to patient safety at Baptist Health Lexington. We require that all staff wash their hands before and after each patient encounter. We formally monitor compliance to this in all of our patient care areas to ensure that we control infection risk in our hospital environment.”

UK HealthCare released this statement:

“Like many academic medical centers, UK HealthCare -- which includes UK Chandler Hospital, UK Good Samaritan Hospital and UK Kentucky Children’s Hospital -- serves a disproportionate number of patients with complex medical needs. As the state’s #1 hospital now for seven years running, providing compassionate, high-quality care for patients from the Commonwealth and beyond is our top priority. We work with a number of organizations on quality rankings, such as U.S. News & World Report and Vizient, where we are a top performer. There is always room to improve, and we will continue to invest in efforts that improve the health and safety of our patients.”

CHI Saint Joseph also released this statement from its chief medical officer, Dr. Dan Goulson:

“Saint Joseph Hospital and Saint Joseph East continually work on improvement efforts to achieve the highest level of quality and safe care for our patients. We recently transitioned to a new electronic health records system, Epic, as another way to enhance the care provided at our hospitals. There are multiple organizations focused on quality rankings, including Healthgrades and U.S. News & World Report. Both of our Lexington hospitals have received high rankings from these agencies, including a Healthgrades Top 100 Hospitals recognition for Saint Joseph Hospital. There is always room for improvement and our dedicated providers and caregivers continue to focus on quality and safety for the patients we serve.”

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