(The Center Square) - Oklahoma’s national ranking for hospital safety has fallen, dropping the Sooner State to 33rd in the nation since studies conducted earlier in the year, a recent report concludes.
Still, health officials remain optimistic that the state may be in for a turnaround, predicting that Oklahoma’s Medicaid Expansion will ultimately put less pressure on state hospitals and medical facilities as more Oklahomans gain access to primary care earlier.
According to the Fall 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade report, Oklahoma dropped two ranks since the state was last evaluated in the spring of 2022, when it ranked 31st in the nation. Numerically, Oklahoma’s scoring remained the same but the report attributes Oklahoma’s drop in rank to two other states, Georgia and Nevada, improving their overall scoring.
Conducted biannually, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade measures overall safety in hospitals across the nation based on three key metrics: process, structural and outcome measures. These metrics examine everything from staff responsiveness to the outcomes of patient care. Hospitals that participate in the study are given an “A” through “F” ranking depending on the quality of their services.
Oklahoma’s percentage of “A” ranked hospitals remained unchanged since the spring of 2022, accounting for 23.3%. Of the 43 hospitals in Oklahoma that received ranking, ten other state hospitals received a “B” and 16 received a “C” ranking. Only six hospitals statewide received a “D” rating and there were no “F” rankings given in Oklahoma.
Jennifer Dennis-Smith, communications manager for the Oklahoma State Medical Association, said she was hopeful that the state could see a boost in its national rankings as early as spring 2023 as a result of recent Medicaid expansion in the state.
“Oklahoma’s health care community is working diligently to improve our rankings across the board. While this survey shows there’s still some areas we need to enhance, the fact remains that our hospitals have weathered what has been several difficult years and they have done so admirably,” said Dennis-Smith. “With the implementation of Medicaid Expansion in mid-2021, there is a greater opportunity to improve health outcomes across the board in Oklahoma.”
The expansion of Medicaid in Oklahoma, approved by voters in a 2020 ballot measure, now allows eligibility for Medicaid benefits to non-elderly adults with a household income of 138% of the poverty level or less. Since the expansion took effect in July 2021, more than 290,000 Oklahomans have signed up for healthcare services, according to Healthinsurance.org.
“It is still early in the game, but we are already seeing more patients seek preventative care, which helps ease some of the burden on our hospitals,” added Dennis-Smith. “We are hopeful this progress continues and are committed to partnering with others in health care to ensure Oklahomans are receiving the best care possible regardless of where they are in the state.”
via Oklahoma's Center Square News