A hospital safety report published Monday shows that most San Antonio hospitals improved in preventing medical errors, accidents and infections since the spring, while some previously A-grade hospitals were penalized for high complication rates.
For the first time, San Antonio’s University Health and Christus Santa Rosa Hospital of New Braunfels got A grades. Resolute Health Hospital of New Braunfels fell to a C after being an A-grade hospital.
Those determinations were part of the semi-annual Hospital Safety Grade report, published by nonprofit The Leapfrog Group. The report, which rates nearly 3,000 general hospitals nationwide on safety practices, gives patients access to evaluate the relative safety of hospitals.
Hospital medical errors, infections and injuries kill more than 500 patients a day. The hospital safety grade is the only program that assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, injuries, accidents or infections. The report uses data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), its hospital survey and other data sources to come up with grades ranging from A to F.
The fall 2023 grades are the first post-pandemic grades, from October 2021 to December 2022. Nearly 30% of general hospitals included in the report earned an A, 24% earned a B, 39% earned a C and 7% earned a D. Less than 1% of hospitals earned an F. Texas made the list for top 10 states for A hospitals.
Here’s how San Antonio- area hospitals scored:
Hospital-acquired infection rates improved in local hospitals, but patient experience is lacking. Patient experience reports show declines in “communication about medicines” and “responsiveness to hospital staff,” which correlate with preventable medical errors.
University Health got its first A safety grade by “reducing hospital-acquired infections and reducing surgical complications while enhancing patient safety,” said Dr. Bryan Alsip, chief medical officer for University Health.
“Beyond improving our standards of care and clinical documentation, we have also excelled at offering high-quality, compassionate care to our patients,” he said.
But the report reveals there are still areas for improvement in communication with doctors, communication with nurses and the responsiveness of hospital staff, said Leah Binder, CEO of The Leapfrog Group.
“In talking with hospital leaders, we believe staffing shortages are one key reason for the continued decline,” she said. “Many hospitals are innovating to help make patient experience better, which is critical because these results are disheartening and unsustainable.”
Metropolitan Methodist Hospital downtown also improved its previous B safety grade, earning an A.
Most San Antonio hospitals kept their A grades, including: Baptist Medical Center, Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital, Methodist Hospital, St. Luke’s Baptist Hospital, Mission Trail Baptist Hospital, Northeast Baptist Hospital, North Central Baptist Hospital and Methodist Texsan Hospital. Methodist Stone Oak Hospital maintained a B grade.
No San Antonio-area hospitals got lower than a C.
Christus Santa Rosa Medical Center and Christus Santa Rosa Hospital at Westover Hills continue to be C-grade hospitals. Main areas for improvement include: infection in the blood, harmful events, dangerous bed sores, safe medication administration, and effective leadership to prevent errors, according to the report.
“Christus Health is dedicated to the safety of every patient and to continuous improvement as we strive for zero harm in every aspect of the care we provide to the communities we are blessed to serve,” said a statement from the hospital system.
“Leapfrog ratings do not tell the full story of a hospital’s commitment to safety. While it can be helpful, the rating is not absolute. The methodology Leapfrog uses also raises concern because scores can be influenced by whether a hospital participates in a survey and provides supplemental information.”
Resolute Health Hospital of New Braunfels, a Baptist Health System hospital, had the most penalties and the biggest grade drop. Since 2020, the hospital had maintained an A grade, but fell to a C in the latest report for infections, problems with surgeries and for issues with nursing, bedside care for patients and communication with doctors.
The hospital performed “worse than average” in patient infections in the urinary tract, dangerous objects left in the patient’s body during surgery, patient falls and injuries, nursing and bedside care for patients, and communication with doctors.
Baptist Health System did not respond to requests for more information.
Nationally, hospitals significantly reduced infections after infections reached a five-year high during the pandemic.
San Antonio has 7,000 hospital beds and counting, but some hospitals aren’t included in the hospital safety grade report because not all institutions are required to publicly report safety records, like rehabilitation and mental health care facilities, surgery or cancer centers, or federal hospitals.
Local hospitals not included in the report include specialty hospital Texas Center for Infectious Disease, Methodist Children’s Hospital, specialty hospital Methodist Hospital Landmark, Audie L. Murphy Memorial Veterans’ Hospital – Medical Center, Christus Children’s, Christus Santa Rosa Hospital – Alamo Heights and the Brooke Army Medical Center.
Methodist Healthcare Ministries and University Health are financial supporters of the San Antonio Report. For a full list of business members, click here.
