David Robinson is reporting for the Poughkeepsie Journal a new study by the New York Public Interest Research Group found the state of New York has some of the worst rankings for hospital quality and safety nationwide despite spending more than other states on health care. Potential reasons for the poor ratings include limited state fines imposed on hospitals that put patients at risk, as well as the failure by some hospitals to implement best practices, according to the study released in December by the consumer watchdog. More than one-third, or 34 percent of New York hospitals received the lowest one-star rating in the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services review in 2019. In contrast, 16 other major urbanized states, such as Michigan, New Jersey and California, each had between 4 percent and 13 percent of their respective hospitals score the lowest rating, the study noted. Florida, at 20 percent, came the closest to New York. And, despite the subpar care, New York hospitals are less likely to be fined by the state than facilities in some other states, the NYPIRG study noted. In 2017, New York issued fines to only four hospitals for a total of about $12,000, the study found. In contrast, the California Department of Health issued fines to 53 hospitals in 2017, and many were individually fined $50,000 or more. Read the full story in the Poughkeepsie Journal.