St. Charles officials proud of safety rating

St. Charles Medical Center in Bend is safer than most hospitals in the country, according to a new study by Consumer Reports magazine. It scored 59 out of 100, and officials said Friday they are proud of their work and will strive for higher points.

Because the highest score in the country was a 72, hospital officials said they believe their number should give patients confidence. But they added that there is always room for improvement.

“These scores are very good and we’re very proud of them,” said Steve Strang, the hospital’s director of performance analytics. “If Consumer Reports keeps doing this year after year, you’ll only see our scores improve even more.”

The report looked at six areas: infections, readmissions, communication, CT scanning, complications and mortality.

The Billings Clinic in Montana topped the report with a 72 score, and Sacred Heart Hospital in Chicago brought up the rear with a 16.

Dr. John Santa, the director of Consumer Reports’ Health Ratings Center and a former member of Gov. John Kitzhaber’s cabinet, said hospitals must do better.

“It’s embarrassing to see how the health care systems are responding,” said Santa. “It’s disappointing to see the degree to which hospitals have failed to improve safety issues.”

St. Charles reports its data to the federal government voluntarily. It shows the hospital scored one of the highest in the country for only doing CT scanning when it’s appropriate.

“Frankly, I look at Oregon and I see some hope,” said Santa. “Because I think there are a number of hospitals there who are figuring these things out.”

No hospitals scored highly in the communications category. This includes instructions when the patient leaves the hospital, and how to take care of themselves at home with treatment and medication.

“The health care industry has a ways to go on standardization, and enabling that communication.” Strang said. “And acknowledging that human element that goes into providing safe care.”

Only about 1,200 of the roughly 6,000 hospitals in the nation returned their safety data. The report said the hospitals that did should be given credit. That’s because the first step in safety is accountability, and from there, they can find ways to improve.