‘Safest’ local hospitals? | Philly Health Insider

This week, we’ve got details on surprises from Leapfrog’s latest safety rankings for local hospitals (spoiler alert: Penn Medicine took a hit). Plus:

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— Aubrey Whelan and Alison McCook, Inquirer health reporters, @aubreyjwhelan.

The newest safety report card from Leapfrog gives its highest mark (A) to more than 40% of local hospitals, including Lower Bucks Hospital, Temple University Hospital (main campus), and Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital. (Check out our custom tool to see how your facility scored.)

But how much stock should be placed in these types of safety ratings?

Penn Medicine is a renowned institution here, but most of its local hospitals were downgraded by Leapfrog (some going from As to Cs) after the hospital rating organization changed its methodology.

So what actually changed at the three Penn-owned facilities whose grades went from As or Bs to Cs (the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Chester County Hospital)? Medicare, for instance, gives five out of five stars to HUP, which also has a perfect score from patient surveys.

It’s hard to know. Leapfrog rates hospitals on 22 metrics using information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and seven others based on surveys that hospitals voluntarily complete. For the minority of health systems that don’t participate — including Penn and Crozer Health — Leapfrog used to provide a score based on the average response from other hospitals in the area. But now, the safety watchdog has decided to give non-participators the lowest rating for those categories.

Penn defended its safety record, noting it hasn’t participated in Leapfrog’s survey for years, claiming private-sector rankings are time-consuming and don’t always lead to better care.

Reporter Sarah Gantz has more on the findings — and fallout — from Leapfrog’s latest report.

This week’s number: $100 million

That’s how much local organizations collected in bonuses last year for delivering quality care that saved Medicare money. A dozen local Accountable Care Organizations participated in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Check out Harold’s story for a closer look at the best performers.

This week’s inspection report takes us inside St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, part of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic. In the first nine months of the year, state inspectors visited the facility six times, and cited the hospital after finding that two nurse managers did not have proper qualifications to lead surgical units.

We’ve got more insider details on what inspectors found at St. Mary.

The latest drought has our region on edge about the risk of wildfires. A recent short — but sweet — rainfall got New Jersey’s wildfires under control, but more fires and threats to our air quality are expected with climate change.

Here’s what Josiah Kephart, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at Drexel University’s Dornsife School of Public Health, says about how wildfire smoke affects health and what people can do to protect themselves.

A researcher at Penn is among the winners of this year’s John Scott Award, given in honor of the scientific legacy of Benjamin Franklin. Vijay Kumar, Penn’s Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, is sharing the 2024 award with two others for their research in robotics.

Kumar’s research focused on drones, and has been used for work where humans can’t — or shouldn’t — go, such as mapping, reconnaissance, and search and rescue operations.

The awards come with a cash prize of $10,000 and will be presented today at the American Philosophical Society in Old City.

In primary care, there’s one topic that comes up over and over: weight loss. Many try, few succeed. Our region’s largest provider of primary care is offering its patients a new tool to help make it happen.

Backed by a $2.4 million grant from PCORI, Jefferson Health is creating a two-year health education program modeled after two PCORI-funded studies, which found that similar programs led to significant weight loss.

Read Alison’s story to learn more about how Jefferson is hoping to help the estimated 170,000 adults with obesity being treated at one of its nearly 100 sites that offer primary care.

📮What additional tools should primary care providers offer patients who want to lose weight? For a chance to be featured in this newsletter, email us back.

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