By Sarah Nagem
Hospitals in North Carolina’s Border Belt received “C” grades by a nonprofit group that works to improve safety and transparency at medical centers across the United States.
The four hospitals serving Robeson, Scotland, Columbus and Bladen counties all got the same score from The Leapfrog Group, which released its biannual grades on Wednesday that suggested overall improvement across the nation.
To determine a hospital’s grade, the group considers several metrics under five categories: infections, problems with surgeries, safety issues, practices to prevent errors, and doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
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Here’s a breakdown of the grades for local hospitals.
UNC Health Southeastern
The Lumberton hospital’s grade slipped to a C, after getting Bs the last four grading periods.
UNC Health Southeastern performed below average for infections of the blood and urinary tract, sepsis infection after surgery and surgical site infection after colon surgery.
It also scored below average for death from serious treatable complications, serious breathing problems, wounds that split open, patient falls and dangerous blood clots.
Below-average scores were also determined for communication with nurses and with doctors, having enough qualified nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, and communication about medication and discharge.
The hospital earned above-average grades for metrics including harmful events, dangerous bed sores, handwashing, specially trained doctors for the sickest patients and effective leadership to prevent errors.
Scotland Health Care System
The hospital in Laurinburg got a C grade, slipping from an A in late 2021 and a B last spring.
Scotland Health Care System scored below average in most infection categories, including MRSA.
Below-average scores were also determined for blood leakage after surgery, surgical wounds that split open, dangerous blood clots, communication about discharge and having specially trained doctors for ICU patients.
The hospital earned above-average scores for harmful events, dangerous bed sores, communication about medicine, responsiveness of hospital staff and effective leadership to prevent errors. Communication with nurses and having enough qualified nurses were also graded as above average.
Columbus Regional Healthcare System
The Whiteville hospital received a C grade, which it has gotten each reporting period since fall 2019.
Columbus Regional got below-average scores in four of six infection categories: MRSA, C. diff, and infections of the blood and urinary tract.
The hospital also scored below average for harmful events, patient falls, dangerous bed sores and blood clots, communication about discharge and having specially trained doctors to treat ICU patients.
Above-average scores were determined for most surgery categories, including serious breathing problems. The hospital also scored above average for handwashing, safe medication administration and communication, effective leadership to prevent errors, responsiveness of hospital staff, communication with doctors and nurses, and having enough qualified nurses.
Cape Fear Valley Medical Center
The Bladen County hospital in Elizabethtown is under the umbrella of Fayetteville-based Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, which received a C grade. That’s the same score it received in fall 2021 and spring 2022.
The Fayetteville hospital scored below average in half of the infection categories: MRSA, C. diff and sepsis after surgery. Below-average scores were also determined for death from serious treatable conditions, harmful events, dangerous bed sores and handwashing.
The hospital got above-average scores for most surgery metrics, including blood leakage, serious breathing problems, accidental cuts and tears, patient falls, dangerous blood clots. Similar scores were given for safe administration and communication of medications, communication about discharge, effective leadership to prevent errors, communication with nurses, having enough qualified nurses and having specially trained doctors to treat ICU patients.
