LEWISTON/BANGOR (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- A watchdog group has lowered the safety grades for two Maine hospitals to a C – the lowest grade of all hospitals statewide. That’s according to the latest numbers out Tuesday from The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C. based non-profit that releases the letter grades for hospitals nationwide, every six months. It uses public data to track healthcare safety and has been issuing these grades for the last six years.
St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor dropped from an A last fall to a C this spring and Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston went from a B to a C.
“While these hospitals have done better in the past, their more recent information shows some slight slips in their safety so patients going to these hospitals should be aware that there have been some recent areas for concern and be extra vigilant when they’re going to get care there,” says Erica Mobley, Director of Operations at The Leapfrog Group.
According to Leapfrog, CMMC was noted to have problems with urinary tract infections in ICU patients with catheters, dangerous bed sores and deaths from treatable complications. This latest letter grade is a surprise to one Lewiston man who says he just underwent surgery at CMMC.
“I’ve used the hospital on several occasions and I’ve had very good luck with them. I had a neck operation where they replaced some disks, and they did an excellent job. No problems afterwards.”
The rating reflects information gathered from July 2014 to June 2017.
Central Maine Medical Center’s president, vice president and chief nursing officer released an internal memo in response to the latest rating. It reads in part:
What the Leapfrog data shows us is that there's a need for improvement in some areas. This work will bring us more in line with national standards and benchmarks that continue to evolve in an ever-shifting healthcare landscape. We're not alone. Hospitals across the country are experiencing these transitions.
Among the Maine hospitals to receive an A letter grade: Maine Coast Memorial Hospital, The Aroostook Medical Center, and Mid Coast Hospital.
To see the rating for your local hospital, click here.
