The Leapfrog Group has released its bi-annual report grading dozens of hospitals in Illinois based on a set of safety criteria, but while the state received a number of "A" grades, it also received one "F," and dropped in the national ranking.
The fall report from the nonprofit watchdog analyzed nearly 3,000 general hospitals in the U.S. based on protection from things like medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.
Out of the 113 hospitals rated in Illinois, here's how the grades broke down:
A grade: 30 hospitals
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B grade: 25 hospitals
C grade: 50 hospitals
D grade: 7
Local
F grade: 1
Hospitals are ranked based on the number of infections, problems with surgeries, safety issues, staffing and measures aimed at preventing errors.
The "F" was given to South Shore Hospital in Chicago.
The hospital did not respond to NBC Chicago's requests for comment, but was given low marks in some infection categories, hospital falls, error prevention strategies, and staffing and communication.
South Shore CEO Leslie Rogers told the Chicago Tribune after stepping into a leadership role this summer, that the not-for-profit hospital was striving to have a "C" or better in the next ranking.
Meanwhile, more than half a dozen other facilities got "D" grades on the list.
That includes Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City, Javon Bae Hospital in Rockford, Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago, Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center in Mattoon, Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan and Weiss Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
Weiss Hospital told NBC Chicago in a statement that its low ranking was "due to an increase in hospital acquired infections" during earlier reporting periods.
"Since then, we have improved our processes and expect future scores, specifically Fall, to reflect those improvements," a spokesperson said. "Patient safety is our highest priority, and our physicians and staff are fully committed to quality in our patient care activities."
Vista Health System said it "improved during this rating period and continuously focuses on safety, quality, and our patients’ experience" but noted that data used in its grade "is more than three years old in some cases and does not reflect the dedication and clinical performance of Vista’s physicians, nurses, and staff."
"Several national and state agencies acknowledge Vista’s commitment to quality and safety, including U.S. News and World Report, which recently recognized Vista as a high-performing hospital in stroke and COPD care for 2022-2023, and the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, which recognized Vista with a 'Get with The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus' achievement award with Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll," the healthcare company said.
Advocate Aurora Health said it has a "robust plan in place to drive continued improvement in both safety and health outcomes for our patients."
"We firmly believe that meaningful quality and safety data should be transparent to the public. However, accurately measuring this data can be challenging, and some organizations use limited methodologies that don’t always reflect the quality of care or the varied factors that contribute to patient outcomes," the hospital system said in a statement.
Some prominent Chicago-area hospitals were also among the "C" ratings on the list, including Northwestern Medicine's Lake Forest Hospital, University of Illinois Hospital and Health Science System, a number of OSF HealthCare facilities, Mount Sinai Hospital in Chicago and more.
Northwestern Medicine said its Lake Forest Hospital "is committed to providing high quality, safe, patient-centered care."
"Our physicians, nurses and staff are driven by their dedication and passion for delivering outstanding care while always striving to do what is better for our patients," the hospital said in a statement. "We believe that quality and safety data should be meaningful, informative and transparent to the public. We appreciate the ongoing efforts by Leapfrog to improve the usefulness and accessibility of information for consumers."
OSF HealthCare said 10 of its 15 hospitals received a grade in the report, one of which was given an A and five others given B's.
In total, four were given a C rating.
“OSF supports transparency about quality and safety information such as that provided through the Leapfrog grades and is committed to finding ways to improve safety and quality of care. We are proud of the work our Mission Partners (employees) do every day and how they have faced the many challenges of the past two years," the healthcare company said in a statement.
NBC Chicago reached out to a number of other hospitals listed in the ranking but did not receive a response.
Illinois ranked 28th in the U.S., with 26.5% of hospitals getting an "A" grade in the bi-annual report. In the spring, the state was listed at 27th.
Still, in the fall of 2021, only 18 state hospitals were listed with an "A" grade.
The top-ranked state on the list was New Hampshire, followed by Virginia, Utah, Colorado and Idaho.
See the full list of hospital grades in Illinois here.
