Dominican Hospital Named 18th Safest in California

Good news hospital-goers: You're in able hands when you need medical attention in Santa Cruz County.

Dominican Hospital, the only place in the county to go in case of emergency outside of Watsonville, was named among the safest hospitals in the state this week by Consumer Reports.

It ranked second in the greater Bay Area only behind Saint Francis Memorial in San Francisco, and 18th in the entire state of California, according to a statement by Dignity Health, the corporation that operates Dominican. 

Consumer Reports ranked 1,100 hospitals nationwide based on six criteria:  infections, readmissions, overuse of scanning, communication about new medications and discharge, complications and mortality. According to Dignity Health, Dominican was especially impressive in avoiding infections and unnecessary scanning. 

The survey gave each hospital a score between 1 and 100, the higher the better. Dominican received a 59. Over half of the hospitals scored under 50, and according to Dignity Health, the highest score in California was 68.

"At Dominican we are always working hard to ensure patient safety," said Hospital President Nanette Mickiewicz, MD. "While we will still have room for improvement, this recognition from Consumer Reports is a testament to the dedication of our doctors, nurses and hospital staff to make patient safety our highest priority."

Dominican also received an A grade for safety from The Leapfrog Group last month. Watsonville Community Hospital was given a B grade in that same study.