Chicago Hospital Receives ‘F’ Safety Grade; Northwestern, Other Area Hospitals Move Up in Rankings: Report

A handful of Illinois hospitals have moved up and earned higher marks on a biannual safety rankings list, according to a newly released report from health care watchdog group and nonprofit Leapfrog.

However, one Chicago hospital earned an "F" grade, and several others received a "D," the report shows.

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The 2023 Spring Safety Grades report, which grades nearly 3,000 hospitals across the country, uses 30 performance measures along with five main measures that have "direct impact on patient safety outcomes" to generate the hospital safety ratings report, Leapfrog said. Those include nurse communication, doctor communication, staff responsiveness, communication about medicine and discharge information.

The group then assigns letter grades to hospitals on a scale of "A," "B," "C," D" and "F," the report states, which are updated biannually in the fall and the spring.

In Illinois, 112 hospitals were graded.

Overall, the state ranked 28th nationwide, with 26.1% of hospitals in Illinois receiving an "A" letter grade. New Jersey earned the number one spot on the list, with 51.5% of hospitals earning top marks.

The report also says that, in 2021, amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, health-care associated infections at hospitals across the country rose to a "five-year high."

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"Our pre-pandemic data showed improved HAI measures, but the spring 2023 Safety Grade data spotlights how hospital responses to the pandemic led to a decline in patient safety and HAI management," Leapfrog Group President and CEO Leah Binder said in the report.

Of Illinois' 112 hospitals graded, 29 earned an "A" grade, including Ascension Saint Mary-Chicago and NorthShore University Evanston Hospitals, which had both previously earned "B" ratings, as well as Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest and St. Bernard Hospitals, which had both previously earned "C" ratings.

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"The Leapfrog score is a further step in the right direction and demonstrates St. Bernard Hospital’s continued dedication to serving its community,” St. Bernard Hospital President Charles Holland said in a statement. “Everyone should expect safe, quality and equitable care at our hospital, and we strive to exceed that expectation every day.”

Holland's statement added that the hospital will continue "fostering comprehensive community wellness in Chicago’s South Side community."

Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital, which serves patients in Lake County as well as in Southern Wisconsin, told NBC 5 in a statement that the hospital appreciates "the ongoing efforts by Leapfrog to improve the usefulness and accessibility of health information for consumers."

"We believe that quality and safety data should be meaningful, informative and transparent to the public," hospital president Marsha Oberrieder said. "As a health system, we remain committed to providing high quality, safe, patient-centered care."

While 30 hospitals in Illinois earned "B" ratings, the number of hospitals that earned a "C" letter grade was the largest, at 44. Among that group was Vista Medical Center East, in Waukegan, which had improved two spots from receiving an "F" in the spring of 2022.

"Vista is proud to have improved during this rating period once again," a Vista spokesperson told NBC 5. "We continuously focus on safety, quality, and our patients’ experience as part of our overall efforts to enhance clinical performance and excellence. The dedication of our physicians, nurses and staff is making a difference and we look forward to advancing our work together."

Seven hospitals in the state -- four of which are in the Chicago area -- earned "D" rankings, the report says.

According to Leapfrog, St. Margaret's Health in Peru was docked for a number safety reasons, including a high number of health-care associated infections, and higher-than-average number of complications or "potentially harmful events" following surgeries, procedures or childbirth than other hospitals.

An alert on the hospital's website however, indicates that the hospital is closed.

"Effective Saturday, January 28, 2023 at 7am, St. Margaret's Health - Peru temporarily suspended all inpatient hospital services, including the Emergency Room and Obstetrics."

Calls to the hospital were met with a similar recorded message.

Other Chicago-area hospitals that earned "D" ratings included Franciscan Health Olympia Fields, Community First Medical Center in Chicago and Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.

In a statement to NBC 5, a Franciscan Health Olympia spokesperson said "quality, safe care delivery remains a priority, and we anticipate Leapfrog will raise our grade as they move into post-pandemic data collection reporting.”

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, in response to its grade, told NBC 5 that "accurately measuring this data can be challenging, and some organizations use limited methodologies that don’t always reflect the quality of care or the varied factors that contribute to patient outcomes."

"We have a robust plan in place to drive continued improvement in both safety and health outcomes for our patients," the statement continued.

The sole Illinois hospital to receive an "F" letter grade was Roseland Community Hospital in Chicago. In 2022, the hospital had earned a "D."

According to the report, Roseland was docked for higher-than-average instances of urinary tract infections, dangerous bed sores, poor handwashing practices and other "harmful events."

In a statement to NBC 5, RCH President and CEO Tim Egan shared the following:

"Within a two-week period, Roseland Community Hospital received two separate ratings from two very different ratings agencies. The Lown Institute, a non-profit healthcare think tank led by clinicians, ranked Roseland #2 in Chicago for its community investment. Leapfrog, led by business interests seemingly focused on lowering insurance costs, gave Roseland an F. These alternate ratings agencies showcase what was proven at the heights of COVID: we are all in the same storm but not in the same boat. We are terribly disappointed by Leapfrog's assessment but we also know that Leapfrog does not calculate social determinants of health, nor does it evaluate the challenged community we serve.

"Our entire hospital family remains dedicated to quality care and we are all committed to the quality journey," the statement continues, "So much so Roseland Community Hospital is in the final stages of negotiations with the State of Illinois to implement a community changing "Transformation" plan that will incorporate aggressive quality improvement initiatives in partnership with community stakeholders and Federally Qualified Health Centers."

The full Leapfrog safety grades report for Spring 2023 can be found here.

Here's the full list of grades for Chicago-area hospitals:

Grade A

Ascension Alexian Brothers, Elk Grove Village
Ascension Mercy, Aurora
Ascension Saint Alexius, Hoffman Estates
Ascension Saint Mary-Chicago, Chicago
Elmhurst Memorial Hospital, Elmhurst
MacNeal Hospital, Berwyn
NorthShore University HealthSystem Hospital Evanston, Glenbrook, Highland Park
Northwestern Medicine Hospital Central DuPage, Huntley, Kishwaukee, McHenry, Lake Forest
OSF Little Company of Mary Medical Center, Evergreen Park
Rush Copley Medical Center, Aurora
Rush Oak Park Hospital, Oak Park
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
Silver Cross Hospital, New Lenox
St. Bernard Hospital, Chicago
Chicago Medicine AdventHealth, Bolingbrook, Glendale Heights, Hinsdale, LaGrange
University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago