Finishing as the “safest” hospital in South Dakota? The Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls with a rating of 71. The “least” safest of the major hospitals per Consumer Reports? Prairie Lakes Healthcare System in Watertown.

Consumer Reports says it focused on six categories in the safety ratings: infections, readmissions, communication, CT scanning, complications and mortality.

No hospital in the United States scored the maximum of 100 points. Miles Memorial Hospital in Damariscotta, Maine scored at the top at 78 points and Bolivar Medical Center in Cleveland, Miss. scored the lowest at 11.

The South Dakota “Safety” Rankings:

1. Avera Heart Hospital of South Dakota, 71.
2. Sanford USD Medical Center (Sioux Falls), 68.
3. Avera McKennan Hospital and University Health Center (Sioux Falls), 64.
4. Rapid City Regional Hospital, 63.
5. Avera St. Luke’s Hospital (Aberdeen), 57.
6. Avera St. Mary’s Hospital (Pierre), 55.
7. Avera Sacred Heart Hospital (Yankton), 52.
8. Avera Queen of Peace Hospital (Mitchell), 49.
9. Prairie Lakes Healthcare System (Watertown), 47.

According to Consumer Reports, the average score for the 4,000 hospitals it rated was 51, with 43 hospitals scoring below 30.

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