Patient Safety Improvements Remain Sluggish, but Some Hospitals Shine: Consistent Top Performers and Dramatic Stories of Improvement

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hospital Safety Scores, released today by The Leapfrog Group, shows key shifts among many hospitals on the letter grades rating them on errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. While overall progress remains elusive, the data showed encouraging signs: hospitals taking steps to make safety a priority either by consistently maintaining an "A" score, or by raising a lower score to an "A" over time.

For example, Beckley ARH Hospital, part of the Appalachian Regional Healthcare System in Beckley, West Virginia made one of the most significant jumps ever indicated in the Hospital Safety Score data, jumping from a "D" in Spring 2015 to an "A" grade this score.

"No matter how large or small, no matter what kind of community they serve, all hospitals have the potential to give their patients this high level of safe care," said Leah Binder, president & CEO of The Leapfrog Group.

Additional Key Findings:

• Of the 2,530 hospitals issued a Hospital Safety Score, 773 earned an A, 724 earned a B, 866 earned a C, 133 earned a D and 34 earned an F.
• 133 hospitals earned the "Straight A" designation, which calls attention to hospitals who have consistently received an A grade for safety since the Hospital Safety Score launched in 2012.
• For the fourth time in a row, Maine claimed the number-one spot for the state with the highest percentage of A hospitals.
• Zero hospitals in the District of Columbia, Alaska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Vermont, or Wyoming received an A grade.
• Due to a considerable data update, 46 percent of hospitals changed at least one letter grade.

The Hospital Safety Score assigns letter grades to more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals twice per year. For more information and to view the list of state rankings, please visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. To learn how employers are footing the bill for hospital errors, visit Leapfrog's Cost Calculator. Journalists 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.

CONTACT:                   

Jillian Laffrey
The Leapfrog Group
202-292-6713
[email protected] 

Ashley Duvall
Stern Strategy Group (on behalf of
The Leapfrog Group)
908-325-3874
[email protected]

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151027/281206

SOURCE The Leapfrog Group