Is Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx the worst hospital in the country? Consumer Reports thinks so. In a new report, the magazine ranked more than 1,000 hospitals in the nation based on the number of hospital-acquired infections, re-admissions within 30 days, and the quality of discharge and medication instructions.
Thirty New York metropolitan area-hospitals earned low scores for patient safety. Of the 10 New York hospitals with the lowest scores, three were in Brooklyn: Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Kings County Hospital Center and Coney Island Hospital.
But Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx, a city run hospital, got the rap for being the worst in the country when ranked for patient safety, according to the magazine’s rankings.
The hospital disputed the findings. “Consumer Reports has taken the very complex question of patient safety and reduced it to four indicators that do not take into account the most recent data showing significant improvements in hospital acquired infections and readmissions. We are constantly reviewing our protocols and remain focused on prioritizing patient safety.” Jacobi Hospital said in a statement.
A nurse practitioner at the hospital for 25 years, Ramona Lamascola, also dismissed the report angrily. “It’s absolutely not the worst hospital in the United States,” she said. “I am angry because this is a general statement. How do you make a statement that it is the worst hospital in the United States unless you went to all the hospitals in the United States?”
Despite the brouhaha surrounding the report, patients visiting the hospital on Friday afternoon did not seem concerned about the report at all. Many praised the hospital.
David Ortiz, who has been coming to The Jacobi Medical Center for the past eight years, was very surprised that Jacobi was rated as the worst hospital in the nation and said the report would not stop him from coming here.
“They always treat me very well. They really care about their patients,” Ortiz said. “If I didn’t think they were good I would not have come here for 8 years.”
Michael Robinson,who works as a vendor and helps hire hospital staff members, also disagreed with the report.
“I don’t think the report is accurate at all. Their customer services are excellent!” said Robinson, who has been coming to Jacobi for two years. “It really hurts me when I see things like that. This hospital is the landmark of the community and it is the busiest hospital in NYC. I don’t think the report will affect them at all.”
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