New Hospital Safety Grades Released, Revealing How Prioritizing Safety Can Save Lives

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Oct 31, 2016, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hospital safety breakdowns, including patient injuries, accidents and infections, kill over 200,000 Americans each year, making these errors the third leading cause of death in the U.S. But not all hospitals are alike. The Leapfrog Group today announced its Fall 2016 release of the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a program which assigns A, B, C, D and F letter grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals bi-annually and is the gold standard measure of patient safety in the United States. Of the 2,633 hospitals evaluated, 844 earned an "A," 658 earned a "B," 954 earned a "C," 157 earned a "D" and 20 earned an "F."

When ranked by percentage of hospitals earning an "A," several states stood out for significant improvements over time. North Carolina has climbed from number 19 in the country in the Spring 2013 Safety Grade to number five in the Fall 2016 Safety Grade. Idaho has also made continuous strides, moving from number 45 in Spring 2013 to number two in Fall 2016.

Other states with notable improvements include Utah, ranked number six in the Fall 2016 Safety Grade, and Vermont, ranked number eight. For the first time, the top ranked state is Hawaii, while the bottom-ranked states, each with no "A" hospitals, are Alaska, Delaware and North Dakota, along with Washington, D.C.

According to Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder, "In the fast-changing health care landscape, patients should be aware that hospitals are not all equally competent at protecting them from injuries and infections. We believe everyone has the right to know which hospitals are the safest and encourage community members to call on their local hospitals to change, and on their elected officials to spur them to action. States that put a priority on safety have shown remarkable improvements."

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is calculated by top patient safety experts, peer reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. A full description of the data and methodology used in determining grades is available online at www.hospitalsafetygrade.org. Visitors to the website can also find videos, tips for patients and a Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade mobile app for IOS and Android devices.

For more information about the Safety Grade, as well as individual hospital grades and state rankings, please visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org. Journalists interested in additional trend analyses and scheduling an interview should contact [email protected].

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.

CONTACT:

Erica Mobley
The Leapfrog Group
202-292-6713
[email protected]

Ashley Duvall
Stern Strategy Group (on behalf of The Leapfrog Group)
908-325-3865
[email protected]

SOURCE The Leapfrog Group