HCA Healthcare Hospital Safety Grade scores exceed national average

Some of the nation’s best-performing hospitals are a part of the HCA Healthcare family. Our caregivers strive to provide safe, quality and efficient care to our patients. HCA Healthcare’s collective commitment to a culture of safety was reinforced in the fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade report. The report, released by nonprofit watchdog organization The Leapfrog Group, revealed that 84% of HCA Healthcare hospitals achieved an “A” or “B” Safety Grade, outperforming the national average of 58%.

Twice annually, the Leapfrog Group assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“Patient safety is first and foundational for what we stand for as an organization,” said Karla Miller, chief patient safety officer at HCA Healthcare.

“While the spectrum of healthcare has been very challenging over the past two years, HCA Healthcare’s extraordinary team of physicians, nurses and other critical support staff members have remained committed to serving our communities with safe, high-quality care,” adds Miller. “I am so proud of our leadership and colleagues for keeping our patients at the center of everything we do, especially during these trying times.”

HCA Healthcare hospitals Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colo. and St. David’s Medical Center in Austin, Texas received Leapfrog’s “Straight A” designation for achieving an “A” grade in every update of the twice-annual Hospital Safety Scores, which launched in 2012.

HCA Healthcare has a rich history of engineering patient safety into our care processes, including these milestones:

• 39 Weeks study: found an increased risk of illness for infants delivered at 37 and 38 weeks, compared to 39 weeks or later and established worldwide practice standards for safe deliveries for mothers and babies.
• Infection (and drug-resistance) prevention: the REDUCE MRSA study reduced bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44% and MRSA by 37%; the ABATE Infection Trial drastically reduced bloodstream infections in non-ICU patients with devices by 31%, and reduced infection with antibiotic-resistant bacteria by 40%
• Sepsis Prediction and Optimization of Therapy (SPOT) program: an algorithm-based alerting system for the early detection of sepsis.
• NATE (Next-gen Analytics for Treatment and Efficiency) platform: delivers data-rich views of a facility using real-time analytics and machine learning solutions. With an urgent need to treat acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) during the pandemic, HCA Healthcare developed an overlay for NATE called C-ARDS (COVID ARDS) to assist clinicians in applying the appropriate clinical protocol for mechanically ventilated patients.

At our facilities, we believe in contributing to a safer environment for patients and caregivers alike by:

• Nurturing safety discussions or huddles
• Providing transparent, timely feedback
• Encouraging the reporting of errors, adverse events and close calls – events or situations that, only by chance, did not produce patient harm
• Recognizing or rewarding individuals for reporting
• Promoting the development of a safe climate for reporting

During the pandemic, HCA Healthcare’s strategy, decisions and resource allocations revolved around keeping our patients, colleagues and visitors safe. In alignment with precautions outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local and state health organizations, we implemented several new safety protocols and processes:

• Universal masking policy for all staff and providers in patient care areas
• Mobilizing hundreds of screeners in our facilities to manage the new screening and visitor-control processes
• Designating separate care locations for COVID-19-positive patients and those under investigation
• Treating non-COVID-19 patients, including those receiving outpatient care or undergoing scheduled procedures, in separate areas

Thank you to our colleagues for leveraging your skill, compassion and dedication to give our patients healthier tomorrows.