Virginia ranks third in study of best access to ‘Grade A’ hospitals

More than 22,000 deaths in the U.S. every year are because of preventable deaths in hospitals.

Medical errors include poor management, poor monitoring of medical conditions, surgery and other procedure errors, and diagnostic errors.

Despite their dedication, today’s healthcare workers face the challenges of staff shortages which can contribute to system defects and errors in judgment.

Medical malpractice law firm Duffy & Duffy used the “Hospital Safety Grade” and state population data to determine state rankings for the best access to “Grade A” level hospitals in America.

In the top ranking with 192,308 people per top-grade hospital is Mississippi. Forty-four hospitals are in Mississippi, 15 of which are “Grade A.” Maine is no. 2 with 194,018 people per top-grade hospital, and no. 3 is Virginia with 199,885 people per top-grade hospital. According to a press release, Virginia has 73 hospitals, and 59.2 percent of them, or 43 hospitals, scored “Grade A” in terms of safety.

“Medical emergencies can occur at any time and are often unpredictable in nature. As a patient, you would naturally want to ensure that you (or your loved ones) are in the best care possible, with the least risk to your health in terms of preventable harm or injury,” says a spokesperson for Duffy & Duffy.

Completing the top five of states with the best access to “Grade A” hospitals are North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

The states with the least accessibility to “Grade A” hospitals are West Virginia, Wyoming and North Dakota, which have no top-grade hospitals, followed by Iowa with 3,011,789 people per top-grade hospital. And Delaware with 997,621 people per top-grade hospital.