WASHINGTON - Statisticians claim more than 400 people die across the U.S. every day because of a preventable hospital error.
That begs the question: how safe are hospitals in Minnesota?
The Hospital Safety Score (HSS) may help provide answers. The HSS, released Wednesday, is the culmination of research by a panel of the nation's top safety experts from Harvard, Johns Hopkins and other institutions and The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit leader in hospital safety and transparency.
With the launch of the first ever national letter grade evaluation, patients can use the A, B, C, D, or F score to evaluate the safety of Minnesota's hospitals.
Seventeen Minnesota hospitals received an A, 16 received a B and 13 got a C. No D's or F's were handed out to Minnesota hospitals.
The grades are based on what the group defined as preventable hospital conditions such as infections, medication mix-ups, acquired injuries (including bedsores), and other sources of harm that can often turn fatal.
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