Sebastian River Medical Center (SRMC) received the highest grade of “B” in Indian River County for the Fall of 2022. On the other hand, Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital scored a “C.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit organization, provides these grades. They evaluate hospitals’ ability to prevent infections, promote hand hygiene, and adhere to safety guidelines to avoid mistakes.

There are 27 different metrics used to calculate these hospital safety grades. This evaluation involves publicly available data and expert analysis. The hospital performed better than average in preventing infections and managing surgical complications.

However, they weren’t as effective in areas related to safety, such as preventing patient falls, injuries, broken hips from falls, and bed sores. Also, the hospital scored lower in communicating with doctors and nurses and in the speed of staff response.

In the past, the hospital faced multiple issues that led to a disappointing “F” safety grade in April 2018. This low score resulted from outdated systems and incidents where foreign objects were left in patients.

Steward, which owns SRMC, made significant improvements after purchasing the hospital. It underwent a high-tech expansion, incorporating modern technology and enhancing patient care.

In 2020, Ronald Bierman took over as the new president. He previously worked at Steward’s Trumbull Regional Medical Center in Ohio.

Comparing the two prominent hospitals in the county, SRMC excelled in safety, while Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital was superior in the speed of staff response.

In the vicinity of 50 miles, there are a total of 14 hospitals. Each of these has a safety grade ranging from A to C.

Following is a list of the nearby hospitals, along with their respective grades:

Cleveland Clinic Indian River: C
Palm Bay Hospital: C
Holmes Regional Medical Center: C
Melbourne Regional Medical Center: B
HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital: C
Viera Hospital: A
HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital: A
Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital: C
Cape Canaveral Hospital: B
Rockledge Regional Medical Center: C
HCA Florida Raulerson Hospital: A
Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital: C
Cleveland Clinic Martin South Hospital: C

SRMC is known for caring for patients by giving excellent medical services. It’s a modern medical center that covers a large area. It has different departments, like an emergency room and places for patients to stay overnight.

They offer services for patients who aren’t staying in the hospital, surgery units, special heart care, and treatment for blood clots. They also have a top-of-the-line center for MRIs and X-rays.

The medical center is unique in how much they care about making patients feel good. The rooms for patients are more like hotel rooms than standard hospital rooms. They want to make patients and their families feel as good as possible during their stay. They offer everything from regular check-ups to special treatments.

SRMC says its success comes from its professional and caring staff. The doctors, nurses, technicians, and other healthcare workers are great at their work.

On top of that, SRMC also has a lot of health programs for the community. These programs work to stop people from getting sick and help them stay healthy. These programs help people in the community and nearby areas to live healthier, smarter lives.

The Leapfrog Group

The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit group that wants to make healthcare better. They work hard to make patients safer and stop avoidable deaths.

Each year, they do a survey. Over 2,300 hospitals choose to participate, and it’s free for them. This survey looks at different safety and quality things at each hospital.

They use 27 different ways to judge hospitals. The group uses their data to show how safe a hospital is. They look at how well a hospital stops infections, ensures people wash their hands, follows safety rules, and prevents mistakes.

They give out these grades to show how well hospitals are doing. They want to help hospitals find areas where they can get better.

They have a team of experts who know much about patient safety to help them. They want to give patients, their families, and employers helpful information.

They want everyone to know which hospitals are good and need to improve. By doing this, they make hospitals take responsibility and push them to make healthcare safer and better.