New York State Ranks Poorly in Patient Safety

Based on New Figures, NY State Ranks Near Bottom of List in Patient Safety Rankings 

How does New York state rank in terms of patient safety? According to some recent figures reported by Hospital Safety Grade, the state simply does not rank well. In fact, only about 10% of hospitals in the state earned an “A” grade, while the rest fell below this line. Out of all 50 states in the U.S., New York came in at number 46, ranking only above Alaska, Delaware, the District of Columbia, and North Dakota.

The data shows that 138 hospitals in the state of New York were ranked, and of those 138 facilities, only 15 received an “A” grade. How do other hospitals in the region compare? New Jersey came in considerably better, ranking 17th in the country in terms of hospital safety. In total, 68 hospitals were scored in New Jersey, and of those hospitals, 25 earned an “A” grade. Yet, that figure means that only 36.8% of hospitals in New Jersey received a top grade. And in Pennsylvania, for instance, only 24.4% of ranked hospitals received an “A” grade. Pennsylvania, which ranked 31st in the nation, had a total of 131 hospitals scored, with 32 receiving an “A” for patient safety.

When we look at the top-scoring hospitals, it becomes clear that patients face serious risks of medical errors and injuries even at the safest facilities in the country. In fact, in Hawaii—the state ranked number one in terms of patient safety— but only 66.7% of hospitals in that state received an “A” grade. As such,  about one-third of patient facilities are falling below the top mark.

Learning More About Hospital Errors and Medical Malpractice 

Medical errors occur much more often than they should. Indeed, as a report from Johns Hopkins Medicine makes clear, medical mistakes are currently the third-leading cause of death in the United States, and many of these errors are preventable. When you enter a hospital for routine surgery or for emergency treatment, what types of medical mistakes put patients at greatest risk of serious and life-threatening injuries?

According to an article in Consumer Reports, up to as many as 440,000 Americans sustain fatal medical injuries at the hospital, and about 722,000 suffer hospital-acquired infections (of which around 75,000 eventually succumb to their injuries). What are the most common mistakes that occur at hospitals across the country? The Consumer Reports article lists the following:

  • Falls (especially among elderly hospital patients);
  • Misuse of antibiotics, which is a form of a medication error (in about 50% of these cases, patients either receive drugs they do not need or receive the wrong drug);
  • Mixed-up medications, another type of medication error (about 1,000 occur every day in hospitals across the U.S.);
  • Bed rest leading to bedsores; and
  • Infections that lead to hospital readmission.

Medical mistakes continue to occur each year. Therefore, if you suffered an injury as a result of a hospital error, contact a medical malpractice lawyer to determine your rights.

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