Rockford area hospitals receive safety grades from watchdog group

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization focused on health care safety, released its spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grade report on Tuesday. Nearly 3,000 U.S. general hospitals are assigned a letter grade based on several degrees of patient safety.

The group says its “A” through “F” rating uses more than 30 measures to calculate the rating, five of which research has shown have a direct tie to patient safety outcomes, like enhanced communication about medications leading to lower rates of hospital-acquired sepsis and blood clots, fewer surgical complications, and decreases in incidence of respiratory failure.

Of the hospitals in Rockford, OSF Saint Anthony topped the list, receiving a “B” grade. UW Health SwedishAmerican received a grade of “C” while Javon Bea Hospital received a “D.”

Below is a full list of how other area hospitals stack up:

Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, DeKalb - A
OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, Rockford - B
Beloit Memorial Hospital, Beloit - B
UW Health SwedishAmerican, Rockford - C
FHN Memorial Hospital, Freeport - C
KSB Hospital, Dixon - C
Javon Bea Hospital, Rockford - D

23 News reached out to the hospital systems in Rockford for comment on the ratings.

Ladd Udy, Vice President, Value-Based Care & Population Health at Mercyhealth said the hospital doesn’t submit data to Leapfrog for the annual report, but Mercyhealth participates in other quality programs that provide them the proper guidance and oversight their patients deserve, and Mercyhealth is confident in those programs.

UW Health Press Secretary Emily Kumlien also commented on Wednesday’s news saying “UW Health is committed to providing high quality healthcare to our community and is very proud to serve the people of Northern Illinois. While UW Health SwedishAmerican did not participate in this particular survey, our patient care is consistently recognized as remarkable and our commitment to quality and safety is unsurpassed.”

Carol Friesen, chief executive officer, Northern Region, OSF HealthCare shared her thoughts on the hospital’s overall rating as well.

“OSF HealthCare is blessed with some of the best health care professionals in the country, and the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades is a testimony to that,” Friesen said. “It’s important to have access to high-quality, close to-home care that is among the best in the country and OSF has that in the Northern Region.”

You can see where other hospitals rank in patient safety here.