PALMDALE – The Leapfrog Group, a national advocate in hospital transparency, indicated Palmdale Regional Medical Center earned a “B” designation for hospital safety in its most recent rankings issued Oct. 31. Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster received an “F”.
The Leapfrog Group surveys more than 2,600 hospitals every fall and spring, and hospitals are awarded letter grades ranging from “A” to “F” based on how they scored in five major categories: infections; problems with surgery; practices to prevent errors; safety problems; and doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
Palmdale Regional Medical Center’s strengths were found to be in safety, qualified nurses, communication with nurses, responsiveness of hospital staff, bed sores, patient falls, air or gas bubble in the blood, handwashing, communication about discharges, surgery, MSRA infections, staff training and responsiveness.
“Palmdale Medical Regional Center takes great pride in receiving a ‘B’ from The Leapfrog Group,” stated Richard Allen, CEO of Palmdale Regional Medical Center. “I’m proud of the physicians and staff for the care and professionalism that distinguishes Palmdale Regional Medical Center as the premier hospital in the Antelope Valley.”
“While we are proud of receiving a ‘B’, Palmdale Regional Medical Center will work diligently to receive an ‘A’ in the spring of 2018,” Allen added.
According to The Leapfrog Group, Antelope Valley Hospital is one of fifteen hospitals in the United States to receive an “F”. Five other hospitals in California received a failing grade.
Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial hospital located in Valencia, Olive View UCLA Medical Center located in Sylmar, and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center located in Mission Hills received a “C” rating.
The Leapfrog Group’s website also allows users to compare different hospitals. Palmdale Regional Medical Center scored within the top 25% of 58 hospitals within 50 miles of the Antelope Valley.
The Leapfrog Group is an independent, national not-for-profit organization founded more than a decade ago. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is a public service committed to driving quality, safety, and transparency in the U.S. health system.
The Leapfrog Group’s survey uses national performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey and Health Information Technology Supplement.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade methodology has been peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Patient Safety.
For more information, visit http://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.
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Stephanie says
… the biggest crooks in the history of the Antelope Valley, Palmdale Regional Medical Center. Vexatious over-billers gone berserk on insurance fraud, heaven help you if you’re ever admitted, to Palmdale Regional. Insist upon being ambulanced, anywhere but there –
Heather says
You are quite correct. We found out the hard way, yes they are a bunch of crooks. 4 weeks physical therapy on a tennis elbow and a frozen shoulder, Palmdale Regional billed our Obamacare US$43 thousand dollars. You’d otherwise think, wouldn’t a cool US$43 thousand, for two hours work total, rubbing a shoulder and sore elbow 8 times in one month might constitute lavish compensation? But, no! Not for the masters of the universe at Palmdale Regional. That wasn’t quite enough. Because, my husband wound up squabbling 6 weeks with their billing people over a 20 dollar co-pay they double-billed him for. When they’d discovered he was right, that didn’t own the 20 bux? That they overbilled him one too many co-pays? That, indeed he was overcharged? Well, if it can’t collect, try and try again, Palmdale Regional billing people waited another month, before rebilling him, and turning him out to the credit bureau for collections.
Tricia says
You want to avoid Palmdale Regional, like the plague. Under no circumstance, do not allow Palmdale Regional Medical Center to enter you, or a loved one, into their database.
H says
The service and customer care was amazing. Not at all like AV hospital. But then again AV hospital seems to be much busier and understaffed. Or not sure if they treat you based on the type of health care coverage you have.
Anonymous says
As a local first responder who has no affiliation to either hospital I can tell you that AV is far superior to PRMC in every way. Ask any LA Co Fire Paramedic or AMR crew off the record and they will tell you the same thing. PRMC has built their entire system on getting good numbers to maximize Medicare reimbursement rates at the expense of truly good healthcare. They bake the numbers and operate completely differently when inspections are conducted then they do on a daily basis. AV is too busy actually providing care that they operate the same whether they are being inspected or not.
Anon says
I call BS. I have had experience with both. PRMC was far superior, and I didn’t get a contact high while sitting in the emergency room.
They are miles apart.
Mike says
… correct. Palmdale Regional is one in the same, as the old hospital corporation which was raised several years ago at 10th Street West and J-8, in Lancaster. Those people are the devil incarnate. Sage advice, keep your friends and loved ones as far away from Palmdale Regional Medical Center as humanly possible –
Shocked says
I had major surgery at Palmdale back in 2011, they were still new, received excellent care. A family member was told they just have a bad cold even after an x-ray, several hours later, they couldn’t breathe even more they were taken to AV, it was not just a cold, but double pneumonia. I know every hospital has issues, but really a F rating is awful. I would always prefer to go to Palmdale regardless of this one incident.
Jacky says
No pediatric doctor. No
Barry says
The F grade is the lowest grade given
A -F. When I was in grade school when a person got a F for a grade it means that person Failed and must repeat. The same grade over. When a person got an A
They went to the next grade.
If a restaurant had got a F grade. I think
It would be closed down.
What happens when a hospital
Gets a F grade . Is it closed down for public safety .?
And the staff that got a F grade?
Are they replaced with An A grade staff.
To say a hospital got an F grade
And I did not read any deneils from Lancaster hospital’s head doctors
Not any directors of staff.
Does this F grade follow the staff
That’s working at the time of the grading?
Barbara says
That’s funny, my friend was sent home and told to see her doctor in his office the following day, if she had done that she would have lost her left leg! She even has a text from the ER stating she is a non-emergency.