When you’re incredibly sick or have been injured in an accident, you head to the hospital for treatment. You hope that you will be treated properly and walk out of the building to return to your normal life. Most of the time, this is what happens. However, if you find yourself visiting one of the worst hospitals in America, you may increase your chances of never coming home.
What Makes a Hospital the Worst Hospital?
Every year, a survey is conducted by The Leapfrog Group that looks at hospitals and gives them a grade from A to F. In total, they look at 27 different metrics, including patient safety measures, a patient’s risk of dying from medical mistakes, and the misuse of medication, among others.
Of course, not all hospitals are graded, and the ones that are excluded include the following:
- Hospitals classified as critical access
- Specialty hospitals, including cancer or children’s hospitals
- VA and military hospitals
- Long-term care facilities, including ambulatory care centers and rehab facilities
- Hospitals that don’t have any publicly reported data
- Hospitals in U.S. territories, including Puerto Rico or Guam
If you have been injured or mistreated in a low-ranked hospital, you might be wondering if there’s a way to tell if it’s malpractice or not. This would depend on the circumstances of your specific case.
You may even be able to take action and receive compensation to pay for excessive medical bills and other pain and suffering, but this would be something you would need to talk to an attorney about.
The Worst Hospitals in America
In the spring of 2021, these were the hospitals that were given low grades, ranking them as the worst hospitals in America. In California, three hospitals receive an F grade:
- Los Angeles Community Hospital
- Memorial Hospital of Gardena
- San Joaquin General Hospital
In Washington D.C, the United Medical Center did not earn a passing grade. In Illinois, the St. Bernard Hospital in Chicago ranked as the worst in the state.
Within the state of Kansas, in the city of Liberal, the Southwest Medical Center did not receive high marks for their facility. In Missouri, the St. Alexius Hospital, Broadway Campus, earned an F.
In New Mexico, the Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services received a low ranking for their facilities. The New York Community Hospital ranked as one of the worst in the state, and in the U.S.
Finally, the Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton, Oklahoma, has also received the lowest rating possible.
How to Use This Information
When it comes to the worst hospitals in America, it’s important to keep in mind that Leapfrog releases their grades twice a year: once in the spring and again in the fall. The hospitals listed above were rated in the first half of 2021, so it’s possible that they have made improvements and now rank better.
Before going to the hospital, you might want to take the time to view its ranking, which can be done by going to Leapfrog’s site and doing a search. Depending on exactly what you’re looking for, you can look up specific hospitals or see a list of all of the hospitals in a specific state.
Once you have found the hospital you want to investigate from the list, you can then get the details by clicking on the “View the full Score” link. This will bring up more detailed information about the data that was collected and how the hospital was graded.
Some Things to Keep in Mind
For many people, going to the hospital is a scary and stressful situation. More often than not, they are experiencing some type of emergency, so they are already having the worst day of their life. Knowing that they might be going to one of the worst hospitals in America can make the situation almost unbearable.
However, even if a hospital receives an incredibly high ranking, that doesn’t mean it is completely immune to errors and negligence. There may still be staff members who are untrained and make mistakes during your treatment process. You could still potentially wind up with more damages coming out of the hospital than going in.
In some cases, Leapfrog may not have all of the information it needs to grade the hospital. This could result in a lower rating, which may or may not reflect the actual level of care a patient would receive at a certain facility.
In addition, just because a hospital was given a low ranking one year, that doesn’t mean they are still a terrible place. They could be working incredibly hard to make changes so that they provide the best care to any patient that comes through their doors.
Another thing to consider is that depending on where you live, you may not have a choice when it comes to what hospital you go to. If you live in a more rural area, you may have to settle with whatever healthcare facility is close.
Not All Hospitals Offer the Same Standards of Care
When it comes to your health and wellbeing, you need to do what is necessary to take care of yourself. Not all hospitals are created equal, and some are considered to be the worst in America.
You can find this information by searching online, and knowing this ahead of time, especially for nonemergency procedures, may help you pick the best facility to take care of your healthcare needs.
