Kentucky hospitals score mostly Bs and Cs on hospital safety scorecard; most in U.S. earned an A or B

In an analysis of the nation's hospitals and their safety records, many of Kentucky's health care facilities have some shortcomings. A study by the Leapfrog Group finds that the vast majority of the state's hospitals score a B or C in overall patient safety, a term defined here by analysis of data on accidents, errors and infections as kept by the Centers for Disease Control, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research. At least a dozen of the state's hospital earned an A rating. To check the grade of your own hospital, go here.

In this data analysis and grading system, 26 different points of criteria were used. Of the 2,618 hospitals reviewed, about 56 percent of the hospitals earned an A or B, and an additional 38 percent passed with a C grade. Only 6 percent of hospitals -- 146 total -- received a D or F. According to CBS News, at least 180,000 Americans die in hospitals every year from incidents that occur because of their stays there. (Read more)