Leapfrog releases patient safety grades for hospitals

National hospital rating organization the Leapfrog Group released it Hospital Safety Score list this week, with 31 Ohio hospitals earning an “A” grade and nearly half given a “C” (Source: “Hospital Safety Score hands out grades,” Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 6, 2012).

The first-of-its-kind ranking uses publically available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors and infections to rate more than 2,600 hospitals in the U.S. on patient safety. The scores can be viewed at hospitalsafetyscore.org.

Dr. Ashish Jha of the Harvard School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management, and one of nine members on Leapfrog's advisory panel that determined which components would be used, explained the rating system in an Health Leaders Media article.

"This is a patient safety score,” Jha said. “It's not the same as whether you'll have a good experience in the hospital, and not even whether you'll get high quality care, such as the right tests or the right medications. This is about whether you will be harmed if you go to this hospital, and that's a very specific thing.”

Lisa Kaiser, Director of Central Market & Programs of Health Action Council, a nonprofit organization that represents more than 100 Ohio employers on issues related to health care said improved access to patient safety information will enable consumers to make better choices about their care.

“Rather than relying on billboards and word-of-mouth, this important information is finally available in a way that will be easily understood and compared, which is also created from publicly available data analyzed by independent experts. Before you schedule a planned medical procedure, knowing if the hospital in your neighborhood has a lower mortality rate than another nearby could save your life,” Kaiser said in a press release.