News File Photo The MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena emergency entrance appears in this 2021 News file photo.

ALPENA — Hospital leaders on Wednesday promised improvements after a watchdog group gave MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena a middling grade for safety.

The Leapfrog Group, a Washington-based hospital safety group, gave the Alpena hospital a C in its spring 2023 rating. Out of 32 metrics measured by the group, the Alpena hospital scored below average in 10, average in two, and above average in 18. Data was unavailable for two metrics, according to the Leapfrog Group.

The Alpena hospital scored poorly in the prevalence of clostridioides difficile, an abdominal infection that can happen after the use of antibiotics, blood infections, serious breathing problems after surgery, harmful events at the hospital, falls causing broken hips, collapsed lungs, and dangerous blood clots. It also scored below average for staff working together to prevent errors, effective leadership to prevent errors, and specially trained doctors to treat intensive care patients.

The hospital scored well in most measurements related to surgery, preventing dangerous bed sores or or air or gas bubbles in the blood, safe administration of medication, handwashing, communication about medicines and discharge, having enough qualified nurses, communication with doctors and nurses, and the responsiveness of hospital staff.

In a news release, MyMichigan Health, the Midland-based owner of the Alpena hospital, said scores at all of its hospitals were dinged in part because a safety and engagement survey of hospital employees wasn’t administered in its entirety. In addition to voluntary surveys, Leapfrog uses data from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to calculate its scores.

MyMichigan Health leaders promised improvements.

“Receiving a ‘C’ safety grade for our hospitals does not represent a change in the quality of care we provide to our patients but rather an opportunity to improve processes specific to Leapfrog requirements,” Kay Wagner, system vice president and chief quality officer for MyMichigan Health, said in a statement.

Lydia Watson, president and CEO of MyMichigan Health, said in a statement the Leapfrog scores are only “part of the big picture of quality efforts that never stop.

“We continuously adjust our safety processes to exceed Leapfrog’s standards and we expect our grades will in fact rebound,” Watson said. “Our patients are the number one reason we focus on quality. Seeing the improvement in our patient outcomes and patients reporting excellent experiences demonstrates the dedication by MyMichigan Health to provide outstanding care every day.”

In a news release accompanying the release of its safety scores, Leapfrog said hospital-related infections hit new highs across the nation during the coronavirus pandemic and remain high. Bloodstream infections spiked 60%, for example.

“The dramatic spike in (hospital infections) reported in this Safety Grade cycle should stop hospitals in their tracks — infections like these can be life or death for some patients,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group, said in a statement. “We recognize the tremendous strain the pandemic put on hospitals and their workforce, but alarming findings like these indicate hospitals must recommit to patient safety and build more resilience.”

The Alpena hospital also received C grades in spring 2022 and fall 2021. It received As in spring 2021 and fall 2020 and a B in spring 2020. The hospital was not graded in fall 2022.

The Alpena hospital scored among the worst northern Michigan hospitals in the latest Leapfrog ratings. The hospital in Traverse City received an A. The hospital in Petoskey received a B. The hospital in Gaylord also received a C.

In addition to Alpena, MyMichigan Health hospitals in Alma, Midland, Sault Ste. Marie, and West Branch — all of the system’s graded hospitals — each also received a C grade from Leapfrog. MyMichigan hospitals in Clare and Gladwin weren’t rated because their volume of patients was too small.

Across the state, some bigger health care systems also fared poorly. The Sparrow and McLaren hospitals in Lansing both received Cs, for example, while the Detroit Receiving Hospital received a D.

The University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor received an A. The Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids received a B, as did Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Leapfrog said in its news release that 29% of hospitals nationwide received an A, 26% received a B, 39% received a C, 6% received a D, and less than 1% received an F.