Mount Sinai Medical Safety Report
Updated March 2018
Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach is a non-profit general medical and surgical hospital offering adult care. Its specialties include cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, ear, nose and throat, gastroenterology & GI surgery, geriatrics, gynecology, neurology and neurosurgery, pulmonology and urology, among others.
The facility has 608 beds, making it among the larger Miami area hospitals. In the most recent survey year, the hospital admitted 6,530 patients and had 22,126 outpatient visits. Hospital doctors performed 5,661 in-patient surgeries and 6,177 outpatient surgeries.
By way of brief background, Mount Sinai was regarded as one of the best hospitals in Miami. Relying on significant donations from the residents of Miami Beach, Mount Sinai was a world-class hospital. However, the demographics of Miami Beach changed, and the hospital was grossly mismanaged. Mount Sinai finds itself struggling to regain the place it once held. Many qualified doctors have left, and population continues to dwindle.
Leapfrog General Safety & Ranking- B
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety grade of Mount Sinai Medical Center is B, largely due to above average scores in avoiding hospital-borne infections and above average avoidance of safety problems. In previous years, Leapfrog rated the hospital with Cs, and B’s, but not in succession or as a show of improvement.
The Leapfrog Group rates Mount Sinai Medical Center’s avoidance in the following categories:
- Infections: how well patients avoid hospital-acquired infections
- MRSA infection: below average
- C.diff infection: average
- Blood infections from ICU stay: above average
- Urinary tract infections from ICU stay: above average
- Infections of the surgical site after colon surgery: below average
Problems with Surgery: how well patients avoid surgery-related complications
- Dangerous object left in patient’s body: above average
- Surgical wound splits open: below average
- Death from serious treatable complication: below average
- Collapsed lung: below average
- Serious breathing problem: above average
- Dangerous blood clot: above average
- Accidental cuts and tears: above average
Practices to Prevent Errors: what the medical professionals and staff do to avoid errors
- Doctors order medications through a computer: above average
- Hand washing: above average
- Communication about medicines: below average
- Communication about discharge: below average
- Staff work together to prevent errors: above average
Safety Problems: how well the patients avoid harm from medical professional’s mistakes
- Dangerous bed sores: above average
- Patient falls: below average
- Air or gas bubble in the blood: above average
- Track and reduce risks to patients: above average
Doctors, Nurses, and Hospital Staff: the quality of the work of those in the hospital to ensure the best patient care
- Effective leadership: above average
- Enough qualified nurses: above average
- Specially trained doctors care for ICU patients: above average
- Communication with doctors: below average
- Communication with nurses: below average
- Responsiveness of hospital staff: below average
However, for almost all of the categories in which Mount Sinai Medical Center ranks above average, one is the best in the country:
- Effective leadership to prevent errors: The average score is 116.34; Mount Sinai Medical Center’s rating is 120 infections of this type.
- Enough qualified nurses: The average score is 97.19; Mount Sinai Medical Center’s score is 100.
- Air or gas bubble in the blood: The average score is .002; Mount Sinai Medical Center’s score is 0.
- Track and reduce risks to patients: The average score is 96.26; Mount Sinai Medical Center’s score is 100.
- Dangerous objects left in patient’s body: The average score is .02; Mount Sinai Medical Center’s score is 0.
Above Average General Practice Ratings
Avoiding Death – Medical
The rating measures the probability that a patient suffering from a stroke, heart failure, heart attack, pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will die within a month of hospital admission.
Avoiding Death – Surgical
The rating measures the probability that a patient may die from a serious yet treatable complication.
Above Average Specialty Practice Ratings
Neutral General Ratings
Avoiding bloodstream infections
The hospital reported 11 infections during the 1,394 patient days between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. This was 33% better than national average.
Avoiding MRSA infections:
The hospital reported 6 infections during the 113,099 patient days April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. This is 35% better than average.
Average score for C.difficile infections: 61 reported C.difficile infections during the 113,099 patient days April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. The infection rate was 22% better than the national average.
Appropriate use of chest scanning
13% of patients received double chest scans.
Below Average Ratings
Avoiding urinary tract infections associated with catheters
The hospital reported 22 infections over the 15,076 patient days between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. The rate was 4% worse than the national average.
Avoiding surgical site infections
The hospital reported 8 infections over the 293 surgical procedures between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. This rate was 30% worse than the national average.
Avoiding C-sections
31% of first-time, low-risk deliveries were C-sections.
Appropriate use of abdominal scanning
15% of patients at Mount Sinai Medical Center received double abdominal scans
Patient Satisfaction
Above Average Ratings:
Doctor-Patient Communication
93% of patients thought their doctor communicated well.
Communication between nurses and patients
93% patients reported that nurses usually or always communicated with them well.
Control of pain
90% of patients reported that their pain levels were usually or always well controlled.
Cleanliness of rooms
92% of patients reported that their room and bathroom were usually or always clean.
Average Ratings:
Assistance from hospital staff members
86% of patients reported that staff members usually or always provided help in a timely manner.
Below-Average Ratings:
The hospital received below-average ratings in several areas related to patient satisfaction:
Communication regarding discharge from the hospital
84% of patients reported that hospital staff advised them of occurrences to be alert for after they left the hospital.
Communication of information about medications
76% of patients reported that hospital staff members usually or always gave explanations regarding new medicines.
Quietness of rooms
83% percent of patients reported that the areas near their rooms were usually or always quiet during the night.
Areas That Are Not Yet Rated:
Heart Surgery is not yet rated.
Other Quality Indicators:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:
The best rating for overall patient experience. The hospital also scored average in avoiding re-admissions, with Medicare patients having about a 15.3% chance of readmission to Mount Sinai Medical Center within 30 days.
Consumer Reports
The hospital has also received a score of 45/100 for safety from Consumer Reports. The score is below average, slightly below the average score (47) for the seventeen Miami area hospitals that received ratings.
U.S. News & World Report Ranking
U.S. News and World Report, ranks Mount Sinai Medical Center as #23 in Florida and #9 in the Miami metro area. It is also rated as “high performing” in the following adult specialties and adult procedures and conditions:
- Geriatrics
- Colon cancer surgery
- Heart failure
If you or a loved one were injured or sustained an illness or infection while being treated at Mount Sinai Hospital you could have reason to seek a malpractice claim. Call our attorneys today to discuss the likelihood of your claim.
