How safe is your hospital? Only 1 Fresno city hospital earns ‘A’ in national report card

Only one hospital in the city of Fresno got a top grade for patient safety in a nationwide report card.

The fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grade score card results released Friday show Kaiser Permanente Fresno received an “A” score. Most other hospitals in the metropolitan area trailed behind with “B” and “C” scores.

Dr. Shahzad Jahromi, physician in chief for Kaiser Permanente Fresno, said in an interview Friday that the “A” score is a group effort. The hospital has a dedicated team focused on these key safety metrics, he said.

“In our hospital, everybody’s aligned. The incentives are aligned to make sure that we all thrive in this area, to make sure our patients are safe,” Jahromi said. “It is a culture we have built.”

Except for a slight dip in fall 2023 when Kaiser received a “B,” score, the hospital has consistently received As since at least Spring 2021.

Clovis Community Medical Center received a “B” score, an improvement from its steady “C” score since 2021.

Community Regional Medical Center and St. Agnes Medical Center received “C” scores. Both hospitals have received a mix of “C” and “D” scores since 2021.

In a statement to The Bee, Dr. Thomas Utecht, senior vice president and chief medical officer for Community Health System, said CHS continually works toward improving quality care and patient safety in every one of their hospitals. (Community Health System — formerly Community Medical Centers — is a private nonprofit that operates downtown Fresno’s CRMC, Clovis Community Medical Center and several other healthcare sites.)

“While the latest Leapfrog grades don’t reflect all of the great strides we’ve made, we seize every opportunity to learn and strengthen our practices. We’ve earned our reputation in the medical community for top-level care and will always welcome feedback that contributes to our ongoing improvement efforts,” Utecht said.

Dr. John Evanko, chief medical officer of St. Agnes Medical Center said in a statement to The Bee that safety is one of the hospital’s core values.

“We take patient care very seriously and are committed to improve patient safety, outcomes and satisfaction,” Evanko said. “Through deliberate, consistent and a focused approach at delivering top decile care, we are steadfast in reaching key performance metrics. Our colleagues, physicians and leaders are committed to our healing mission and ensuring we are providing safe, reliable, excellent and compassionate care to those we serve.”

The Leapfrog Group is an independent nonprofit focused on patient safety. Its hospital rating program is the only one focused exclusively on preventing medical errors and patient harm and uses up to 30 performance measures to assign a grade to hospitals based on public, peer-reviewed methodology calculated by top patient safety experts.

The group evaluated nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide on their ability to prevent medical errors, accidents and infections. The rating system was launched in 2012.

The latest grades also show hospitals nationwide are making progress in patient safety across several performance measures, including notable improvements in healthcare associated infections, hand hygiene and medication safety.

“Despite improvements seen in this fall’s Safety Grade, significant variation in performance remains across U.S. hospitals,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a statement. “That’s why it’s so important for people to consult grades when making decisions about seeking care. All hospitals are not the same.”

As of fall 2024, California ranks sixth nationwide for the percentage of hospitals, 44%, that received an “A” score. This is the first time California has ranked in the top ten since 2014, according to a release.

Which nearby Valley hospitals also received top scores?

Other nearby hospitals to receive “A” scores include Adventist Health in the Fresno County city of Selma and Adventist Health Hanford, in Kings County.

“We always strive to provide safe patient care,” said Dr. Ghassan Jamaleddine, medical officer at Adventist Health Central California Network. “This distinction is a testament to the extraordinary effort our medical teams put into providing quality, safe care for our patients every day.”

To the north, Mercy Medical Center in Merced has received “A” scores since spring 2023, improving from “B” and “C” scores in recent years.

“This is a direct result of our team’s dedication to ensuring our patients get the best possible care right here in our own community. I am blessed to see our team’s commitment to our patients’ health day in and day out,” Dale Johns, president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center said in a statement to The Bee.

Valley Children’s Hospital is not included in the list because children’s hospitals and specialty hospitals are not required to publicly report their safety record, according to the Leapfrog Group.

To look up your hospital and see more detailed information, use the search function at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/search.