Which Macon area hospitals are the safest? See who got an A,C in 2024 national report
Reality Check is a Telegraph series digging deeper into key issues and focusing on accountability. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email cmadden@mcclatchy.com.
If you are in need of a procedure, having a baby soon or new to the Macon area, LeapFrog just updated their hospital safety grades for 2024.
The LeapFrog Group is a national nonprofit that strives to make “giant leaps” in American health care by providing data and ratings for hospital safety.
The hospital safety ratings are determined by “peer-reviewed methodology, calculated by top patient safety experts under the guidance of a National Expert Panel, and are 100% transparent and free to the public,” according to LeapFrog’s website.
So, which hospitals in the area are the safest?
Here are the Safety Grades for Middle GA hospitals:
Atrium Health Navicent, Medical Center
777 Hemlock St.
Macon, Georgia, 31201
Grade: C
Atrium Health achieved the standard in areas such as:
Handwashing
Having special trained doctors for critical care
Preventing colon infections
High-risk deliveries
Screening newborns
Safe medication administration
However, the hospital scored low in these areas:
Billing ethics
Blood infections
Cesarean sections
Some cancer surgeries
Atrium has made a Hospital Safety Grade of C since 2019.
Piedmont Macon Medical Center
350 Hospital Drive
Macon, Georgia, 31217
Grade: A
Piedmont Macon performed better than most hospitals with:
Infections in the blood
Surgical wounds and blood leakage
Harmful events
Handwashing
Safe medication administration
However, there is some room for improvement with:
Communication about medicines and discharge
Kidney injuries after surgery
Piedmont Macon has made a Hospital Safety Grade of A since 2019.
Houston Healthcare
1601 Watson Blvd.
Warner Robins, Georgia, 31093
Grade: C
Houston Medical Center did well in the following areas:
Nurse staff
Handwashing
Preventing C. difficile infection, a germ that causes severe diarrhea and colitis
Episiotomies
Safe medication administration
However, the hospital could improve on a few things:
Billing ethics
Cesarean sections
Houston Medical Center made a B in 2023, but in 2022 and 2021, the hospital was given a C.
Houston Healthcare - Perry Hospital
1120 Morningside Drive
Perry, Georgia, 31069
Grade: C
Perry Hospital scored high in these areas:
Nursing staff
Handwashing
Safe medication administration and ordering
However, the hospital could improve on:
Billing ethics
Infections in the blood
Colon infections
Perry Hospital does not include a Women’s Center for pregnancy or births. The hospital is associated with Houston Medical, which does include a women’s center.
Perry Hospital received a C in the fall of 2023, a B in spring 2023 and a B in 2022.
Have any questions? Let me know at cmadden@mcclatchy.com
