Patient falls, infection among concerns at Wichita-area hospitals, safety report says

A national watchdog group recently scored some Wichita-area hospitals below average for several safety metrics, including patient falls and injuries, infections and safe medication administration.

The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit organization that provides ratings and safety data for hospitals and it recently released grades for nearly 3,000 hospitals across the country. The organization updates the grades twice each year, once in the spring and once in the fall.

Out of five Wichita-area hospitals, one received a lower grade compared to the spring, while another received a better grade.

Ascension Via Christi St. Francis, St. Joseph and St. Teresa each received the lowest grade given to any hospital for nursing and bedside care for patients. Wesley Medical Center received the lowest grade given to any hospital for specially trained doctors caring for intensive care unit patients.

All five local hospitals scored below average for preventing at least one type of infection, including sepsis infection after surgery, infection in the blood, C. diff infection and other types.

While several of the hospitals examined struggled with infection rates, the national trend shows facilities reducing the number of health care-acquired infections overall, Leapfrog reports. These ratings are the first to reflect “post-pandemic” hospital performance, the organization says.

“Now that we have pre- and post-pandemic data for patient safety measures, we are encouraged by the improvement in infections and applaud hospitals for reversing the disturbing infection spike we saw during the pandemic,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a Nov. 6 press release. “However, there’s still more work to be done. It’s deeply concerning that patient reports about their health care experience continues to decline.”

Kansas ranked 11th in the nation for the highest number of hospitals earning an “A” ranking, Leapfrog reports, up from 20th place in the spring. The state improved overall performance, with 37.5% of hospitals receiving “A”s, compared to 30.3% in the spring.

Here’s how Wichita-area hospitals performed in Leapfrog’s fall 2023 grading, plus how to interpret ratings and which areas should be most heavily considered.

Ascension Via Christi St. Francis

Fall 2023 grade: A

Spring 2023 grade: A

Fall 2022 grade: C

Here are the areas in which Ascension Via Christi St. Francis scored below average this fall:

• MRSA infection

• C. diff infection

• Patient falls and injuries

• Nursing and bedside care for patients (Ascension Via Christi St. Francis received a 15 out of 100 for this metric, the lowest score given to any hospital.)

“Ascension Via Christi St. Francis and St. Joseph each received an ‘A’ Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for Fall 2023, a national distinction that recognizes hospitals’ achievements in protecting patients from preventable harm and error,” a Nov. 14 Ascension Via Christi press release said. “Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan and Pittsburg also received an A hospital safety grade. The four Ascension Via Christi hospitals are among the 12 in Kansas that achieved an ‘A’ safety grade for Fall 2023.”

“It takes everyone to protect patients from harm, so I am pleased to see the efforts of the entire teams at all four hospitals being recognized for their commitment to patient safety,” Kevin Strecker, chief executive and ministry market leader, said in the release.

Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph

Fall 2023 grade: A

Spring 2023 grade: B

Fall 2022 grade: B

Here are the areas in which Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph scored below average this fall:

• Infection in the blood

• Patient falls and injuries

• Nursing and bedside care for patients (Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph received a 15 out of 100 for this metric, the lowest score given to any hospital.)

Data about Ascension Via Christi St. Joseph’s performance was unavailable for surgical site infection after colon surgery. Data being unavailable for this metric does not denote a lack of safety or a poor score.

Ascension Via Christi St. Teresa

Fall 2023 grade: C

Spring 2023 grade: B

Fall 2022 grade: A

Here are the areas in which Ascension Via Christi St. Teresa scored below average this fall:

• C. diff infection

• Sepsis infection after surgery

• Doctors order medications through a computer

• Safe medication administration

• Nursing and bedside care for patients (Ascension Via Christi St. Teresa received a 15 out of 100 for this metric, the lowest score given to any hospital.)

Data about Ascension Via Christi Teresa’s performance was unavailable for MRSA infection, infection in the blood, infection in the urinary tract, surgical site infection after colon surgery and death from serious treatable complications.

“While St. Teresa’s Leapfrog score fell to a C in the Fall report, we have taken appropriate measures and expect to see it improve in the next reporting period,” Laurie Labarca, hospital president for St. Teresa and Ascension Via Christi Rehabilitation Hospital, said in an emailed statement.

“Leapfrog is just one of a number of hospital quality ratings companies. In September, St. Teresa received five stars from CMS when its ratings were released this summer and in September was named to Fortune/PINC AI’s 100 Top Hospitals and its Top 20 small community hospitals — the only small community hospital in Kansas and the surrounding states to make the Top 20 list.

“To be one of only 20 comparable hospitals nationwide to be recognized validates what we hear regularly from the patients and families we serve: We have a great team,” Labarca said.

Wesley Medical Center

Fall 2023 grade: A

Spring 2023 grade: A

Fall 2022 grade: C

Here are the areas in which Wesley Medical Center scored below average this fall:

• Infection in the blood

• Safe medication administration

• Specially trained doctors care for ICU patients (Wesley Medical Center received a 5 out of 100 for this metric, the lowest score given to any hospital.)

Wesley Medical Center officials declined to report information about performance in the metrics staff work together to prevent errors, effective leadership to prevent errors and nursing and bedside care for patients. The hospital’s officials also declined to respond to Leapfrog’s survey.

Wesley Woodlawn Hospital & ER

Fall 2023 grade: A

Spring 2023 grade: A

Fall 2022 grade: B

Here are the areas in which Wesley Woodland Hospital & ER scored below average this fall:

• Infection in the blood

• Safe medication administration

Wesley Medical Center officials declined to respond to Leapfrog’s survey and also declined to report information about performance in the metrics staff work together to prevent errors, effective leadership to prevent errors and nursing and bedside care for patients.

“Wesley Healthcare has a long history of top scores in past Leapfrog surveys, and our Fall 2023 safety grades proved to be no exception. We’re proud that our hospitals continue to be recognized for the quality of care and superior outcomes we provide for our patients, as evidenced by our 5-star rating from the Commission for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and being named among America’s Top 100 hospitals and the number three teaching hospital in the country by Fortune/PINC AI™. We will continue to strive to deliver the finest care possible to every patient, every time,” Wesley Healthcare spokesperson Dave Stewart said in an emailed statement.

How are hospital grades calculated?

Safety grades are calculated using up to 22 national safety measures from the Leapfrog survey, U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other data sources. The full methodology is available online and is peer-reviewed and published by the Journal of Patient Safety.

Grades are composed 50% by process and structural measures and 50% by outcome measures. The scoring scales differ by the chosen measure.

Across the U.S., nearly 30% of hospitals received an “A,” 24% received a “B,” 39% received a “C,” 7% received a “D” and less than 1% received an “F” in the fall 2023 ratings.

How should you use these scores?

Leapfrog emphasizes you should not refuse emergency care based on hospital ratings. The group intends the scores to be used when planning things like childbirth, surgery referrals or chronic illness treatment.

The areas you should pay most attention to when choosing a hospital include handwashing, infection in the blood and patient falls, Leapfrog’s website says.

You should also consider how far off your hospital was from the average for any given standard. When evaluating a hospital, you can see the highest and lowest scores given, which helps in weighing a value. The “below average” category can include hospitals that scored 0.01 points under goal, along with facilities with the lowest possible score.

For hospitals that responded to Leapfrog’s survey, there’s often information available about which areas the hospital has improved in and which areas are not going in the right direction.

A hospital being ungraded does not denote a lack of safety. Ratings are often unavailable for facilities that decline to self-report, as well as smaller providers, children’s hospitals, surgical centers and critical access hospitals.

Where can you find more hospital ratings?

Leapfrog allows you to search for hospitals by name, location or state. There’s an online search tool where you can find information about more hospitals.