7 DC Hospitals Graded on Patient Safety: Four 'D' Grades, One Gets an 'F'

WASHINGTON, DC — Five district hospitals received either a "D" or an "F" on new safety grades released Monday by the nonprofit Leapfrog Group. D.C. had no "A" grade hospitals. Sibley Memorial Hospital received a "B" grade and Medstar Georgetown University Hospital received a "C" grade.

The Leapfrog Group uses "30 evidence-based measures of patient safety" including patient injuries, accidents and infections. Numerical scores are converted into letter grades. Of more than 2,600 hospitals graded nationwide, there were 844 "A" grade hospitals and only 20 "F" grade hospitals. Leapfrog is a nonprofit founded by large employers in 2000 to improve health care quality and safety.

The "B" grade for Sibley is the best grade in more than three years: the facility scored an "A" in spring 2013. MedStar Georgetown has received a "C" grade in each of Leapfrog's assessments since 2013.

D.C. ranked at the bottom of state rankings, along with Alaska, Delaware and North Dakota. Virginia was ranked 10th, and Maryland is the only state not included in the grade system. States that have shown improvements have put a priority on safety, says Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder.

“In the fast-changing health care landscape, patients should be aware that hospitals are not all equally competent at protecting them from injuries and infections," she said in a statement. "We believe everyone has the right to know which hospitals are the safest and encourage community members to call on their local hospitals to change, and on their elected officials to spur them to action."

See States Ranked Best to Worst in Hospital Safety

Leapfrog's grades aren't the only ratings that consumers can use to hold local hospitals accountable. Some of the data used by Leapfrog comes from federal measurements shared at Medicare's "Hospital Compare" website. On that site, hospitals are given 1- to 5-star ratings.

Here's the D.C. hospital grades from Leapfrog, along with the latest federal "Hospital Compare" ratings:

• George Washington University Hospital: D, 1 star
• Howard University Hospital: D, 1 star
• MedStar Georgetown University Hospital: C, 1 star
• Sibley Memorial Hospital: B, 3 stars
• Providence Hospital of Washington: D, 1 star
• Not For Profit Hospital Corporation: F, no rating
• MedStar Washington Hospital Center: D, 2 stars

See more about the safety grades, including the methodology.

Image via Shuttestock