New report by The Leapfrog Group indicates patient-reported signs of safety problems, particularly for pediatrics

Ambulatory surgery centers garner some of the most favorable patient experience ratings, but significant challenges persist for all settings of care

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The Leapfrog Group

Jul 08, 2021, 06:00 ET

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on health care safety and quality, today released its Patient Experience Report, which analyzes results of evidence-based and tested surveys that are administered to patients by hospitals and Ambulatory Surgery Centers (ASCs) across the country. The report analyzes patient experience in three different settings of care: adult inpatient hospitals, hospitals that treat pediatric patients, and facilities that provide same-day surgeries. The report is based on results from the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) Surveys, reported through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Across facilities, the Leapfrog analysis suggests:

For children receiving hospital care, too many parents and guardians do not feel comfortable raising concerns about errors.
Many adult inpatients may not fully understand what they need for the continuation of their care after being discharged from the hospital.
Patients do not give high ratings to hospital communications about medications, a critical problem for patient safety, since medication errors are one of the most common dangers patients face in health care settings.
Patients were more favorable about ASCs, which had more positive ratings than hospital-based day surgery.

"Patient experience surveys are the voice of the American patient, and that voice should be the first authority we listen to," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "We are worried about signs of patient safety problems, particularly in pediatric units, where parents appear hesitant to raise concerns about mistakes. We also see issues with communication that can lead to patient harm. Outpatient facilities and particularly ASCs appear to be rated more favorably by their patients, which is promising, but all facilities have work to do."

Because CMS requires general hospitals to report this information, adult inpatient patient experience survey results are readily available to the public from CMS on its Care Compare website. Pediatric inpatient patient experience surveys are not required by CMS, and patient experience surveys for same-day surgical care at hospitals or ASCs are also not required. The annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Leapfrog ASC Survey ask facilities to voluntarily report the results of their patient experience surveys. Leapfrog then makes these results publicly accessible on its ratings website. Participation in the Leapfrog Surveys is free for hospitals and ASCs, and the results of these surveys are free for consumers and purchasers to access. Visit www.leapfroggroup.org for more information.

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 and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC 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.

SOURCE The Leapfrog Group