National report gives Natividad low marks; hospital officials dispute results

A national report ranking hospitals in the country on safety has given one Central Coast hospital a failing grade — but hospital officials say the rating should be taken with a grain of salt.

The report, “the Hospital Safety Score,” released by the Leapfrog Group assigns A, B, C, D and F grades to hospitals based on their ability to prevent errors, injuries and infections.

Of the California hospitals reviewed, seven received failing grades, including Natividad Medical Center in Salinas.

(Full results for Natividad are here.)

The Hospital Safety Score includes 28 measures, all currently in use by national measurement and reporting program

Officials at Natividad Medical Center say the data used for the report is old, from 2012, and doesn’t adequately reflect a hospital’s performance at any given time.

The hospital didn’t complete the survey issued by LeapFrog, which officials say would have provided more detailed information than what is publicly out there. Had they done so, the score would likely have been different, officials said. They plan to complete the survey in the future.
Natividad was just accredited by the Joint Comission a couple months ago — that’s the primary accrediting body for hospitals nationally in terms of patient care

Natividad officials say the hospital is actively engaged in improving patient safety daily.