New WI Hospital Safety Ratings: 15 Get 'A' Grade, 3 Get 'D'

WISCONSIN — How safe are hospitals in Wisconsin?

The answer varies from hospital to hospital, but you more than likely can find at least one nearby facility where you’re in good hands, according to new safety grades released by a national watchdog organization focused on improving health care in the United States.

The Leapfrog Group on Wednesday released the fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade, which assigns a letter grade to the nation’s general hospitals based on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents, injuries, and infections that kill or harm patients.

This year’s list reviewed just over 2,900 hospitals, the largest number of hospitals ever graded.

“As the pandemic continues, we all have heightened awareness of the importance of hospitals in our communities and in our lives,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, in a news release. “It is critical that all hospitals put patient safety first.

"Now we have more information on more hospitals than ever before, so people can protect themselves and their families."

Here’s a snapshot of how hospitals in Wisconsin were graded:

A Grade

• Aurora Medical Center of Oshkosh, Oshkosh.
• Aurora Medical Center of Washington County, Hartford.
• Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center, Sheboygan.
• Bellin Memorial Hospital, Green Bay.
• Beloit Memorial Hospital, Beloit.
• Fort Memorial Hospital, Fort Atkinson.
• HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital, Eau Claire.
• HSHS St. Joseph's Hospital, Chippewa Falls.
• HSHS St. Vincent Hospital of Green Bay, Green Bay.
• Marshfield Medical Center Eau Claire, Eau Claire.
• Marshfield Medical Center Beaver Dam, Beaver Dam.
• Mayo Clinic Health System - Franciscan Healthcare in La Crosse, La Crosse.
• Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Eau Claire.
• Monroe Clinic Hospital, Monroe.
• Watertown Regional Medical Center, Watertown.

B Grade

• Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay.
• Aurora Medical Center Bay Area, Marinette.
• Froedtert Kenosha Hospital, Kenosha.
• Froedtert Menomonee Falls Hospital, Menomonee Falls.
• Froedtert Pleasant Prairie Hospital, Pleasant Praire.
• HSHS St. Mary's Hospital of Green Bay, Green Bay.
• HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital, Sheboygan.
• Marshfield Medical Center - Rice Lake, Rice Lake.
• Mercyhealth Hospital and Trauma Center - Janesville, Janesville.
• ProHealth Waukesha Memorial Hospital, Waukesha.
• SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Baraboo, Baraboo.
• UnityPoint Health - Meriter, Madison.

C Grade

• Ascension All Saints Hospital - Spring Street Campus, Racine.
• Ascension Columbia St Mary's Hospital Milwaukee, Milwaukee.
• Ascension Columbia St Mary's Hospital Ozaukee, Mequon.
• Ascension NE Wisconsin - Mercy Campus, Oshkosh.
• Ascension NE Wisconsin - St Elizabeth Campus, Appleton.
• Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - Elmbrook Campus, Brookfield.
• Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - Franklin Campus, Franklin.
• Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital - St. Joseph Campus, Milwaukee.
• Ascension St Michael's Hospital, Stevens Point.
• Ascension St. Mary's Hospital, Rhinelander.
• Aspirus Divine Savior Hospital, Portage.
• Aspirus Riverview Hospital, Wisconsin Rapids.
• Aspirus Wausau Hospital, Wausau.
• Aurora Lakeland Medical Center, Elkhorn.
• Aurora Medical Center - Manitowoc County, Two Rivers.
• Aurora Medical Center Burlington, Burlington.
• Aurora Medical Center Grafton, Grafton.
• Aurora Medical Center of Kenosha, Kenosha.
• Aurora Medical Center Summit, Summit.
• Aurora Sinai Medical Center, Milwaukee.
• Aurora West Allis Medical Center, West Allis.
• Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee.
• Froedtert West Bend Hospital, West Bend.
• Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center, La Crosse.
• Holy Family Memorial Medical Center, Manitowoc.
• Howard Young Medical Center, Woodruff.
• Marshfield Medical Center - Marshfield, Marshfield.
• Marshfield Medical Center - Weston, Weston.
• ProHealth Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital, Oconomowoc.
• SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Janesville, Janesville.
• SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Madison, Madison.
• St. Agnes Hospital, Fond du Lac.
• ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton, Appleton.
• ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah, Neenah.
• University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority, Madison.

D Grade

• Ascension St. Francis Hospital, Milwaukee.
• Aurora St Luke's Medical Center of Aurora Health Care Metro, Inc, Milwaukee.
• Aurora St. Luke's South Shore of Aurora Health Care Metro, Cudahy.

To determine each hospital’s grade, a panel of medical experts selected 30 evidence-based measures of patient safety such as postoperative sepsis, blood leakage and kidney injury. They then determined the weight of each measure based on evidence, opportunity for improvement and patient impact.

Data on each measure was collected through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Information from the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, available to all hospitals to complete, also affects grades.

Currently, Leapfrog does not assign grades to military or Veterans Administration hospitals, critical access hospitals, specialty hospitals, children’s hospitals or outpatient surgery centers.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade methodology has been peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Patient Safety.

The full methodology for the 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is available online.

Findings from the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade include:

• Thirty-two percent of hospitals received an "A” grade; 26 percent received a "B," 35 percent received a "C," 7 percent received a "D," and less than 1 percent received an "F.”

• The five states with the highest percentages of "A" hospitals are Virginia, North Carolina, Idaho, Massachusetts and Colorado.

• There were no "A" hospitals in Delaware, Washington, D.C. and North Dakota.