University of Miami Hospital Safety Report

Updated March 2018

The University of Miami Hospital is a non-profit teaching hospital, entirely owned and operated by the university. Although a general medical and surgical hospital, it has multiple adult specialties, including cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology and neurosurgery, pulmonology, along with several others. The facility has 464 beds, making it one of the larger hospitals in the Miami area.

Leapfrog General Safety & Ranking – D

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety grade of University of Miami Hospital is D, due to significant below average scores in all of the areas evaluated. This is typical; Leapfrog has given this hospital mainly C’s and D’s over the years.

The Leapfrog Group rates University of Miami Hospital in the following categories:

Infections: how well patients avoid hospital-acquired infections

• MRSA infection: below average
• C.diff infection: below average
• Blood infections from ICU stay: below 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: below average
• Surgical wound splits open: above average
• Death from serious treatable complication: above average
• Collapsed lung: above average
• Serious breathing problem: above average
• Dangerous blood clot: below average
• Accidental cuts and tears: below average

Practices to Prevent Errors: what the medical professionals and staff do to avoid errors

• Doctors order medications through a computer: below 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: above 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: below 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, out of the categories in which University of Miami Hospital ranks below average, two rank lowest in the country:

• Specially trained doctors care for ICU patients: University of Miami Hospital had the lowest score, 5 out of 100.
• Doctor order medications through a computer

Out of the categories in which University of Miami Hospital ranks above average, the following rank the highest in the country:

• Air or gas bubble in the blood
• Track and reduce risks to patients
• Enough qualified nurses
• Staff work together to prevent errors
• Hand washing
• Specially trained doctors care for ICU patients

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 frequency of a patient undergoing surgery dying in the hospital following development of a serious but treatable complication.

Appropriate use of chest scanning

• Less than 1% of patients received double chest scans.

Appropriate use of abdominal scanning

• 2% of patients at University of Miami Hospital received double abdominal scans.

Avoiding MRSA infections:

• The hospital reported 9 infections during the 116,244 patient days April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. This is 23% worse than national average.

Above Average Ratings:

Doctor-Patient Communication

• 94% of patients thought their doctor communicated well.

Communication between nurses and patients

• 92% patients reported that nurses usually or always communicated with them well.

Average Ratings:

Control of pain

• 89% of patients reported that their pain levels were usually or always well controlled.

Cleanliness of rooms

• 87% of patients reported that their room and bathroom were usually or always clean.

Quietness of rooms

• 88% percent of patients reported that the areas near their rooms were usually or always quiet during the night.

Below-Average Ratings:

Communication regarding discharge from the hospital

• 83% of patients reported that hospital staff advised them of occurrences to be alert for after they left the hospital.

Communication of information about medications

• 77% of patients reported that hospital staff members usually or always gave explanations regarding new medicines.

Assistance from hospital staff members

• 80% of patients reported that staff members usually or always provided help in a timely manner.

Categories not rated:

Childbirth and Heart Surgery.

Other Quality Indicators:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:

Below average for overall patient experience. The hospital scored no better and no worse than the average rate in avoiding re-admissions, with Medicare patients having approximately a 15.3% chance of readmission to University of Miami Hospital within 30 days.

Consumer Reports Review:

The hospital has also received a score of 51/100 for safety from Consumer Reports. The score is slightly above the average score (47) for the seventeen Miami area hospitals that received ratings.

Average Ratings — General

Avoiding bloodstream infections

• The hospital reported 14 infections during the 19,058 patient days between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. This was 21% better than national average.

Avoiding surgical site infections

• The hospital reported 6 infections over the 327 surgical procedures between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. This rate was 1% better than the national average.

Average score for C.difficile infections: 76 reported C.difficile infections during the 116,244 patient days April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. The infection rate was 9% better than the national average.

Avoiding urinary tract infections associated with catheters

• The hospital reported 18 infections over the 20,845 patient days between April 1, 2016, and March 31, 2017. The rate was 26% better than the national average.

U.S. News and World Report Ranking:

U.S. News and World Report ranks University of Miami as #4 in Miami and #12 in Florida, and nationally ranks the hospital in ear, nose, and throat practice. It’s also considered “high performing” in the following categories:

• Neurology and neurosurgery
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Colon cancer surgery
• Heart failure
• Lung cancer surgery

If you or a loved one have been harmed because of inadequate care or negligence by nurses, doctors or other medical staff members at University of Miami Hospital, it’s important that you speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. For a consultation regarding your legal options, please contact our office today.