I realize that this blog is mostly about politics but it's not all politics, all the time.
Hence, this PSA.
Earlier this week, an organization called The Leapfrog Group released a report that graded hospitals on the basis of patient safety.
Caveat: I cannot attest to the accuracy of their grades, also, that while important, patient safety is only one factor in determining the overall quality of medical care provided by a particular hospital.
They graded 50 hospitals in Arizona; running the gamut, some received "A", some "B", some "C", some "D" (No "F" grades, but Ds are still pretty bad).
25 Arizona hospitals received A or B grades, but only two of those were from outside of Maricopa or Pima counties (seven received Ds, and five of those were located in counties not named Maricopa or Pima.
Bottom line: I understand that hospitals are businesses and that they will go where people and financial wealth are, but sacrificing patient safety on the altar of the profit motive is NOT acceptable
Most of AZ is considered to be a Medically Underserved Area (MUA) by the federal government.
From the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) -
Not coincidentally, metro Phoenix and metro Tucson (the most populous areas in AZ) have few MUAs -
Not coincidentally, I think, the MUAs in those two metro areas are located in the poorer parts of those areas. For example, Scottsdale is most assuredly not part of a MUA.
Note: twice since 2020 began, I've visited a local hospital's ER (the same hospital twice), and one of those visits resulted in surgery. While that hospital received a "C" grade, I've never had a problem with the care there. Hence the caveat.
