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It does not seem as though it was that long ago that people stood on balconies and porches, cheering on the healthcare workers that helped New Yorkers get through the pandemic. However, while many healthcare workers are worthy of the praise they receive, not all hospitals in the city performed well, according to the latest ratings released by the Leapfrog Group in the fall of 2021.

Leapfrog releases safety ratings twice a year, with the first ratings released in the spring and later again in the fall. The ratings are applied to over 2,600 hospitals around the country and they focus on injuries, infections, and accidents to assess the effectiveness of these facilities, and how well they prevent medical mistakes and other harm to patients.

New York’s Drop in Rankings

According to Leapfrog, just two of the New York City’s 44 hospitals earned an “A” grade, and the state as a whole is ranked 43 nationally. Four of the city’s hospitals got a “B” grade, 16 received a “C” grade, and 20 earned a “D.” Two hospitals in the city received an “F” grade.

To put these grades into perspective, over 2,700 general acute-care hospitals in the country were assessed for Leapfrog’s Spring Safety Grades. Among those facilities, only 27 have achieved consecutive “A” grades since Leapfrog began the ranking system in the spring of 2012. New York’s rating is incredibly low, and too many for patients that are not receiving the quality care they need.

Grades of New York City Hospitals

Forty-four hospitals within New York City were graded in Leapfrog’s fall rankings. These hospitals, and their respective grades, are as follows:

• BronxCare Health Systems: D
• Brookdale Hospital Medical Center: F
• The Brooklyn Hospital Center: C
• Coney Island Hospital: D
• Interfaith Medical Center: D
• Jamaica Hospital Medical Center: C
• Lenox Hill Hospital: C
• Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital: C
• Long Island Jewish Medical Center: C
• Maimonides Medical Center: D
• Montefiore Einstein Campus: D
• Montefiore Moses Campus: D
• Montefiore Wakefield Campus: F
• Mount Sinai Beth Israel: D
• Mount Sinai – Brooklyn: D
• The Mount Sinai Hospital: B
• Mount Sinai Morningside: C
• Mount Sinai – Queens: C
• Mount Sinai West: B
• New York – Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital: D
• New York Community Hospital: D
• New York – Presbyterian Queens: C
• New York – Presbyterian Lawrence Hospital: D
• New York – Presbyterian, Lower Manhattan: D
• New York – Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center: D
• New York – Presbyterian Allen Hospital: D
• New York – Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center: D
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Harlem: C
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Queens: B
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Jacobi: D
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Kings County: D
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Lincoln: C
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Bellevue: C
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Elmhurst: C
• NYC Health + Hospitals – North Central Bronx: D
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Woodhull: C
• NYC Health + Hospitals – Metropolitan: B
• NYU Langone Hospital- Brooklyn: A
• NYU Langone Hospitals: A
• Richmond University Medical Center: C
• Barnabas Hospital: C
• John’s Episcopal Hospital: C
• SUNY Downstate Medical Center University Hospital of Brooklyn: D
• Wyckoff Heights Medical Center: D

When determining the grades for every state, Leapfrog used up to 28 national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, as well as information from other data sources. The purpose of the rankings is to prevent deaths and injuries caused by medical mistakes. According to Leapfrog, if all hospitals could receive an “A” grade, approximately 50,000 lives would be saved. Researchers at the organization estimate that 160,000 lives are lost each year due to medical mistakes that are entirely avoidable and preventable.

Common Medical Errors

Any mistake made by a doctor, nurse, or other healthcare worker could result in injury or death to patients, but there are some medical errors that are more common than others. Some of the most common medical errors are as follows:

• Failure to diagnose
• Misdiagnosis
• Medication errors
• Emergency room mistakes, including failure to treat in a timely manner
• Surgical mistakes
• Operating on the wrong part of the body
• Failing to obtain a patient’s full medical history
• Anesthesia mistakes
• Hospital negligence
• Birth injuries
• Failing to obtain patient consent
• Defective medical tools

Any time a medical error causes harm to a patient, the injured party can file a claim against the staff member or facility that caused their injury.

Filing a Medical Malpractice Claim

Medical negligence is never acceptable. Doctors have the lives of patients in their hands and when they make a mistake, the worst could happen. Patients that are injured due to medical negligence can file a claim against the doctor that hurt them, or even against the hospital or medical center. When filing a claim based on medical malpractice, there are four elements a person must prove. These include:

• The healthcare professional owed the patient a duty of care,
• The healthcare professional breached that duty of care,
• The direct link between the negligent act and harm to the patient, and
• The patient suffered losses, or damages

Proving these elements is never easy, and New York has strict laws on medical malpractice claims. For example, anyone filing a medical malpractice claim must also obtain a certificate of merit. These certificates must be signed by a healthcare professional in the same field as the negligent doctor and must attest that the offending doctor did not provide the proper standard of care. This is just one complex law that governs medical malpractice claims, but there are others, as well. A New York City medical malpractice lawyer can help individuals file their claim so they recover the fair settlement they deserve.

Call Our Medical Malpractice Lawyer in New York City Today

Medical malpractice is very serious, and all patients should file a claim for damages if they have been a victim of it. At Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C., our New York City medical malpractice lawyer can handle every aspect of your claim so you recover the full settlement you deserve. Call us today at 1-877-ASK4SAM or fill out our online form to schedule a free consultation and to learn more about how we can help.