HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (

WAFF

) -Huntsville Hospital’s failing safety grade from the LeapFrog Group doesn’t bode well versus other hospitals in the area. It was given the lowest grade in the region, with Athens-Limestone, Crestwood and Decatur Hospital all fairing better.

Leapfrog data found

Huntsville Hospital had above-average deaths

from treatable conditions, the hospital’s worst-performing category. A spokesperson from Huntsville Hospital issued a statement saying that the rating is just not accurate:

“The hospital did not complete this voluntary 353-page survey, yet Leapfrog chose to publish a rating with incomplete information,” A spokesperson said.

Leapfrog Group is a non-profit watchdog group that provides safety grades for over 3,000 hospitals in the U.S. Hospitals are graded on a range of categories, from infections after surgery, all the way to hand-washing practices.

Leapfrog claims grades are based on data that’s publicly available, like Medicaid records and data provided by the hospitals through surveys. But it turns out, more than 24% of Huntsville Hospital’s grade came from not filling out that 353-page survey.

A spokesperson from Leapfrog said:

“A hospital’s participation or nonparticipation in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey itself does not improve or worsen their score.”

But the organization’s

grading breakdown

contradicts that statement, saying if the hospital does not have data from the last two rounds, it’s given “limited achievement” — the lowest score available.

So, Huntsville Hospital was given the lowest score for 4 categories, totaling 24% of its grade, because the survey wasn’t completed, and no other data was available.

Huntsville Hospital also made it clear in the statement that, even though it would rather have employees focused on treatment, it would dedicate more resources to completing future surveys


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