CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hospital grades for healthcare facilities in the Carolinas were released Wednesday and most hospitals in the Charlotte area received high marks, including several Atrium Health and Novant Health facilities.
The ratings were released by The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog that advances patient safety in hospitals. This year's grades mark the 10th anniversary of Leapfrog's Hospital Safety Grade program, which assigns a letter grade to nearly 3,000 U.S. general hospitals based on how well they protect patients from preventable medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.
Nationally, 30% of hospitals received an A, 28% received a B and 36% received a C. Only 1% of hospitals nationwide received an F, including none in the Carolinas.
Most hospitals in the Charlotte area received an A or B letter grade. Four facilities, including Atrium Health Union in Monroe, Davis Regional Medical Center in Statesville and Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill, received Cs.
Notable Charlotte-area hospital safety grades
Atrium Health-Cabarrus: B
Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center: B
Atrium Health-Mercy: A
Atrium Health-Pineville: B
Atrium Health-University City: A
Davis Regional Medical Center: C
Frye Regional Medical Center-Hickory: B
Iredell Memorial Hospital: C
Lake Norman Regional Medical Center: B
Novant Health-Huntersville: A
Novant Health-Matthews: B
Novant Health-Presbyterian: A
Leapfrog said there has been significant improvement in some never events (medical events that should never happen). Those included incidents of falls and trauma and objects unintentionally left in bodies after surgery.
Data also shows progress in health care-related infections over the last decade. MRSA infections decreased by 22%, bloodstream infections were down 43% and clostridioides difficile infection (C. Diff) decreased by 8%.
Click here to view full grades for hospitals nationwide, including in-depth scores and reports on each hospital in the Carolinas.
Flashpoint is a weekly in-depth look at politics in Charlotte, North Carolina, South Carolina, and beyond with host Ben Thompson. Listen to the podcast weekly.
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || Google Podcasts
All of WCNC Charlotte's podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.