Several Columbus area hospitals get lower marks in latest safety grade report. Here’s why
Reality Check is a Ledger-Enquirer series digging deeper into key issues and focusing on accountability. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email srose@ledger-enquirer.com.
The average cost of a hospital stay in Georgia is over $2,000 per day, and this is a huge amount of money to pay a hospital that doesn’t measure up.
Some of the Columbus area hospitals didn’t get great marks when it comes to meeting customer needs, according to the Leapfrog Group.
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization that monitors the healthcare industry, “serves as a voice for health care consumers and purchasers, using their collective influence to foster positive change in U.S. health care.”
Leapfrog consults an expert panel and uses 30 national performance markers to come up with the grades for area healthcare facilities.
Here’s how Columbus’ hospitals did for Spring 2024:
Piedmont Columbus Regional Midtown - A
710 Center Street
Columbus, Georgia, 31901
Highest marks:
Critical care
Healthcare-associated infections
Maternity care
Lowest marks:
Patient rights and ethics
Piedmont Columbus Regional Northside - A
100 Frist Court
Columbus, Georgia, 31909
Highest marks:
Preventing patient harm
Medical safety
Lowest marks:
Patient rights and ethics
Martin Army Community Hospital - B
6600 Van Aalst Boulevard
Fort Moore, Georgia, 31905
Highest marks:
Maternity care
Pediatric care
Care for elective outpatient surgery patients
Lowest marks:
Critical care
Preventing patient harm
Total joint replacements
Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital - C
4401 Riverchase Drive
Phenix City, Alabama, 36867
Jack Hughston Memorial Hospital declined to report to the Leapfrog Group. They arrive at the grade by using publicly available data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other publicly available datasets to fill in the gaps when hospitals do not voluntarily submit information. Their scores from previous years are as follows:
Spring 2021 - C
Fall 2021 - C
Fall 2022 - C
Spring 2022 - C
Spring 2023 - B
Fall 2023 - C
St. Francis-Emory Healthcare - C
2122 Manchester Expressway
Columbus, Georgia, 31904
Highest marks:
Critical care
Maternity care
Lowest marks:
Patient rights and ethics
Medication safety
Preventing patient harm
Healthcare-associated infections
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