North Shore University Hospital Grade Drops In Latest Ratings

MANHASSET, NY — Just three Long Island hospitals received "A" grades in hospital safety, according to new fall 2019 ratings released Thursday by the Leapfrog Group. North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset was not among them, instead receiving a "C" grade, down from a "B" it had been receiving since Spring 2018.

The Leapfrog Group's rating system, released twice a year, focuses entirely on errors, accidents, injuries and infections. On Long Island, in addition to the hospital that received "A" grades, four received "Bs,"13 received "Cs" and two received "D" grades. None received the lowest F grade.

North Shore University Hospital performed below average in the following areas, according to Leapfrog's ratings:

Infections

• MRSA infection
• Infection in the urinary tract

Problems with Surgery

• Serious breathing problem
• Dangerous blood clot
• Accidental cuts and tears

Practices to Prevent Errors

• Doctors order medications through a computer
• Safe medication administration
• Communication about discharge

Safety Problems

• Patient falls and injuries

Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

• Responsiveness of hospital staff

A spokesman for Northwell Health told Patch on Thursday that all of its hospitals are transparent about sharing quality and performance information with the public.

"Whenever information contained in the various 'hospital report cards' identifies a potential quality issue, the public can be assured that we are already aware of it and working aggressively to resolve it," Northwell said in a statement. "We do this routinely as part of our ongoing internal operations and analysis (no matter how high our grades may be), so that we can provide the best patient experience possible."

The health system added that it takes such report card grades seriously, whether it agrees with the methodology or not. The grades are used to improve patient care.

"Because the data is frequently from prior years, we have already identified those areas that may need improvement and implemented programs to improve the performance where it is needed," Northwell said. "As always, we continue to work hard, pay attention to detail and be vigilant about patient safety and satisfaction."