JPS Health Network continues to see improvement in its patient safety scores, earning a B rating in the Spring 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade rankings.
Just two and a half years ago, JPS rated a D on the fall 2015 Leapfrog report card. The organization’s President and CEO Robert Earley said JPS leaders set goals at that time to improve to a B by this year – and to earn an A on the Leapfrog Report Card by 2020. Earley credited health network team members with relentlessly working together to make JPS the best place to go for care as the reason for the improvement so far – and said that sort of sprit is what will eventually lead JPS to its ultimate goal of receiving an A.
Leapfrog scores are based on five major categories. Here are they are with an explanation about how JPS measured up:
- Infections: JPS ranked at the top of the charts in preventing MRSA infections, other blood infections and urinary tract infections.
- Problems with Surgery: JPS successfully avoided accidental cuts or tears during surgery, surgical wounds from splitting open after surgery and issues with breathing following operations.
- Practices to Prevent Errors: Prescriptions are made through a computerized system which monitors orders for any irregularities such as incorrect dosage for a particular patient. JPS physicians and other staff communicate clearly with patients about the medicines that are prescribed to make sure they are used properly. JPS also received high marks for communication with patients upon discharge about what they need to do to make sure they won’t have a setback that requires readmission to the hospital.
- Safety Problems and Doctors: JPS doctors successfully avoid allowing dangerous air bubbles to entering patients’ bloodstreams when removing a catheter or other tube. Hospital leaders track and reduce risks to patients to reduce the number of errors.
- Nurses and Hospital Staff: JPS was found to have effective leadership in place to prevent medical errors, plenty of qualified nurses on staff, and to have specially trained doctors on duty to care for Intensive care Unit patients.
Parkland Health and Hospital System, the public health network equivalent to JPS in Dallas County, receive a C grade from Leapfrog this spring. Other Fort Worth medical institutions Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center, Medical City Fort Worth and Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth all received B grades.
Founded in 2000, the Leapfrog Group is a non-profit organization that collects and reports hospital safety data. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns a letter grade similar to a school report card based on the institution’s patient safety record including its efforts to eliminate errors, injuries, accidents and infections with a goal of improving the quality of healthcare available across the United States. About 2,500 hospitals are ranked twice each year nationwide.