Villages Hospital Given Just A "C" Safety Rating
 

Our Villages Hospital and its sister in Leesburg each received a "C" rating in the Fall 2017 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Study. That puts us in the bottom 14% of the 23 hospitals within 50 miles of Zip Code 32159. (14 were A's, 5 B's, 3 C's (includes our 2) and 1 D)
It appears that the biggest problem areas deal with medical infections and communications across abroad range including doctors, nurses, staff, about medicines and discharge.
In the prior 3 surveys the hospital was rated C, B, B, and now back to a C. Prior to that it was awarded an "A" a couple of times.
Given the current trend, maybe the Hospital's Directors should give consideration to a shakeup of management so that we actually get the high quality service they always seem to be bragging about.
You can see full details and history of ratings at www.hospitalsafetygrade.org

And yet VH was recently given high marks for responding to strokes. The Villages(R) Regional Hospital Awarded Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Center | The Villages Regional Hospital | The Villages, Florida

After a quick glance at the report it looks like the determination of the scores was done without taking into account the age of the population it serves or staffing availability in the area... all things being equal you would expect more falls and respiratory failures at hospitals that draw patients from older populations or that was short on staff... 50 miles takes you to either coast where the population and staff availability is much different than here in central Florida.

I'm not saying that C is a good or even acceptable grade, just that it hard to make comparisons among hospitals based in just raw data without taking into account general age of the population in the area or staff available in the area, as it looks like in this study.

Also it looks like VH recently fired the company providing staff for the ER and changed how the ER works... don't know if that will solve the issues GE pointed out but it does look like things are changing.

Congrats to Florida Hospital!

sepsis is a very serious matter at any age. One wonders just how many of the medical professionals hired have geriatric special training?

Infections
 

One of the bad score factors for TVRH is on the frequency of MRSA infections.

One of my doctors, who practices at TVRH, told me that most of the patients who contract MRSA infections actually get them from their doctors. It is often carried from patient to patient on the clothing (and the neckties) of the doctors.

This is in spite of the fact that there is a disinfectant dispenser in the entrance to every patient room at TVRH, and the doctors and nurses conspicuously spread disinfectant on their hands when they enter the room.

In order to enter a known mrsa room you put on a hat, a gown, shoe covers, gloves, and a mask. That’s everyone. When you exit, the room has an area that all PPE is discarded before stepping into a hall. All possible mrsa is put in isolation until proven guilty. TB is handled the same even is there are no wheels, but could be a possible, you get the privilege of a private room, until proven clean.

From personal experience, a "C" rating in safety isn't the only area in which they deserve a "C" -- or maybe even worse.

If that's the case, how do you explain what Carl In Tampa's doctor told him?

Well in all 6 hospital systems ( 286 hospitals)we have worked in this is standards set by Joint Commission who can and will shut you down if guide lines are not met. Even the room after use must be shut down for in depth cleaning, including a OR.

If we do not scrub for the exact amount of time someone next to you would have you rescrub. I have never in 45 years worked with a doctor, nurse, or tech that would put a patient in harms way......
Do No Harm is what we read every day at the door of our facility.

I have no comment about a privilege conversation between a doctor and a patient.

The safety precautions described by asianthree are taken after a patient is discovered to have a MRSA infection. If the patient does not know he has the infection at check in time (or gets it after being hospitalized,) there are no precautions until after a blood test determines the patient is infected.

Most infected patients do not realize that they have MRSA, nor do their doctors. In fact, after being treated for MRSA and having it "go away" it is possible that it will come back after the "cure" and a person becomes a "carrier."