Benchmarking data is valuable for hospital and health system leaders to measure individual institutions and discover areas of excellence as well as assess opportunities for improvement.
Becker's Healthcare compiled 100 patient safety benchmarks from various sources for hospital comparison.
Readmissions, Mortality and Complications
Entries one through 11 are based on data from CMS' Hospital Compare website, last updated April 28, 2017. Data presented reflect the national average.
30-day average readmission rates
1. Heart attack: 16.8 percent
2. Heart failure: 21.9 percent
3. Pneumonia: 17.1 percent
30-day average death rates
4. Heart attack: 14.1 percent
5. Heart failure: 12.1 percent
6. Pneumonia: 16.3 percent
Rates of serious complications
Figures reflect the national average rates per 1,000 patient discharges.
7. Collapsed lung due to medical treatment: 0.41
8. Serious blood clots after surgery: 5.31
9. A wound that splits open after surgery, abdomen or pelvis: 2.32
10. Accidental cuts and tears from medical treatment: 1.43
11. Deaths among patients with serious treatable complications after surgery: 136.48
Respondents reporting events in the past 12 months
Entries 12 through 17 are based on data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2016 User Comparative Database Report, using data from 447,584 surveyed hospital staff respondents from 680 hospitals. Percentages may not add up to 100 due to rounding.
12. No reported events: 55 percent
13. One to two reported events: 27 percent
14. Three to five reported events: 12 percent
15. Six to 10 reported events: 4 percent
16. Eleven to 20 reported events: 2 percent
17. Twenty-one or more reported events: 1 percent
Venous thromboembolism care
Entries 18 through 22 are VTE care measure results based on 2015 data from America’s Hospitals: Improving Quality and Safety – The Joint Commission’s Annual Report 2016. Results are determined by the number of times the hospital met the measure divided by the number of opportunities the hospital had during the year. Results are expressed as a percentage.
18. VTE medicine/treatment: 95.2 percent
19. VTE medicine/treatment in ICU: 97.2 percent
20. VTE patients with overlap therapy: 94 percent
21. VTE warfarin discharge instructions: 92.6 percent
22. Incidence of potentially preventable VTE: 1.8 percent
Healthcare-Associated Infections
Entries 23 through 36 are based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HAI Progress Report that includes 2014 data, published in 2016. The report uses data from the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network. Around 17,000 hospitals and healthcare facilities report data to NHSN.
National standardized infection ratio (a summary statistic that can be used to track HAI prevention progress over time)
23. CLABSI: 0.50
24. CAUTI: 1.00
25. MRSA bacteremia: 0.87
26. C. difficile infections: 0.92
National standardized infection ratios for surgical site infection
27. Hip arthroplasty: 0.78
28. Knee arthroplasty: 0.59
29. Colon surgery: 0.98
30. Rectal surgery: 0.60
31. Abdominal hysterectomy: 0.83
32. Vaginal hysterectomy: 0.86
33. Coronary artery bypass graft: 0.55
34. Other cardiac surgery: 0.42
35. Peripheral vascular bypass surgery: 0.70
36. Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair: 0.28
Sentinel events
Entries 37 through 45 are based on the Joint Commission's sentinel event data summary published in March 2017, representing the number of sentinel events The Joint Commission reviewed for each category in 2016.
Sentinel events reviewed by The Joint Commission:
37. Unintended retention of a foreign body: 120
38. Wrong-patient, wrong-site, wrong-procedures: 104
39. Falls: 92
40. Suicides: 87
41. Delay in treatment: 54
42. Other unanticipated events (including asphyxiation, burn, choked on food, drowned or found unresponsive): 47
43. Operative/postoperative complications: 45
44. Medication error: 33
45. Criminal event: 32
Process of Care Measures
Entries 46 through 66 are based on data from CMS' Hospital Compare website, last updated April 28, 2017. Data presented reflect the national average.
Heart attack/chest pain patient data
46. Average (median) number of minutes before outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack were transferred to another hospital if he or she needed specialized care: 59 minutes
47. Average (median) number of minutes before outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack got an electrocardiogram: 7 minutes
48. Percent of outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack who received fibrinolytic medication within 30 minutes of arrival: 59 percent
49. Average (median) time to fibrinolysis for heart attack or chest pain patients: 28 minutes
50. Percentage of outpatients with chest pain or possible heart attack who got aspirin within 24 hours of arrival: 96 percent
Preventative care
51. Percentage of patients assessed and given influenza vaccination: 94 percent
52. Percentage of healthcare workers given influenza vaccination: 86 percent
Colonoscopy care
53. Percentage of patients receiving appropriate recommendation for follow-up screening colonoscopy: 80 percent
54. Percentage of patients with history of polyps receiving follow-up colonoscopy in the appropriate timeframe: 87 percent
Emergency department
55. Average (median) time spent in the emergency department before being admitted as an inpatient: 279 minutes
56. Average (median) time spent in the emergency department after physician decided to admit them as an inpatient before moving from emergency department to inpatient room: 99 minutes
57. Average time spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit: 140 minutes
58. Average (median) time spent in the emergency department before being seen by a healthcare professional: 21 minutes
59. Average (median) time spent waiting with broken bones before receiving pain medication: 52 minutes
60. Percentage of patients who left the emergency department before being seen: 2 percent
61. Percentage of patients who came to the emergency room with stroke symptoms and received brain scan results within 45 minutes of arrival: 70 percent
Blood clot prevention and treatment
62. Patients with blood clots who were discharged on a blood thinner medication and received written instructions about that medicine: 93 percent
63. Patients who developed a blood clot while in the hospital who did not get treatment that could have prevented it: 2 percent
64. Ischemic stroke patients who got medicine to break up a blood clot within three hours after symptoms started: 87 percent
Cataract surgery
65. Percentage of patients who had cataract surgery and had improvement in visual function within 90 days following surgery: 87 percent
Pregnancy care
66. Percentage of mothers whose deliveries were scheduled too early (one to two weeks early) when a scheduled delivery was not medically necessary: 2 percent
Patient Experience
Entries 67 through 77 are based on data from CMS' Hospital Compare website, last updated April 28, 2017. Data presented reflect the national average.
Percentage of patients reporting that something was "always" done during their hospital stays:
67. Nurses communicated well: 80 percent
68. Physicians communicated well: 82 percent
69. Patients received help as soon as they wanted: 69 percent
70. Pain was well controlled: 71 percent
71. Staff explained medicines before administration: 65 percent
72. Room and bathroom were clean: 74 percent.
73. Area around patient room was quiet at night: 63 percent
74. Information was given to patients about what to do at home during recovery: 87 percent
Percentage of patients reporting high satisfaction, care understanding and likelihood to recommend:
75. Patients rated their hospital a 9 or 10 (10 being the highest): 72 percent
76. Patients reported they would definitely recommend their hospital: 72 percent
77. Patients reported they would probably recommend their hospital: 23 percent
78. Patients "strongly agree" that they understood their care when they left the hospital: 52 percent
Patient Volumes & Hospital Beds
Entries 79 through 83 are from the Kaiser Family Foundation's 2014 State Health Facts, the most recent data available. Data presented represent the average annual patient volume per 1,000 population.
79. Number of hospital admissions: 104
80. Number of hospital inpatient days: 566
81. Hospital emergency room visits: 428
82. Hospital outpatient visits: 2,174
83. Hospital beds: 2.5
Patient Safety Culture
Entries 84 through 100 are based on data from AHRQ's Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture 2016 User Comparative Database Report, using data from 447,584 surveyed hospital staff respondents from 680 hospitals.
84. Percentage of hospital staff reporting teamwork within units:
• 10th percentile: 75 percent
• 25th percentile: 79 percent
• Median: 82 percent
• 75th percentile: 85 percent
• 90th percentile: 88 percent
• Average: 82 percent
85. Percentage of hospital staff reporting supervisor/manager expectations and actions promoting patient safety:
• 10th percentile: 71 percent
• 25th percentile: 75 percent
• Median: 79 percent
• 75th percentile: 83 percent
• 90th percentile: 86 percent
• Average: 78 percent
86. Percentage of hospital staff reporting organizational learning and continuous improvement from mistakes:
• 10th percentile: 63 percent
• 25th percentile: 68 percent
• Median: 73 percent
• 75th percentile: 77 percent
• 90th percentile: 81 percent
• Average: 73 percent
87. Percentage of hospital staff reporting management support for patient safety:
• 10th percentile: 60 percent
• 25th percentile: 67 percent
• Median: 73 percent
• 75th percentile: 79 percent
• 90th percentile: 83 percent
• Average: 72 percent
88. Percentage of hospital staff reporting overall perceptions of patient safety:
• 10th percentile: 55 percent
• 25th percentile: 60 percent
• Median: 66 percent
• 75th percentile: 72 percent
• 90th percentile: 77 percent
• Average: 66 percent
89. Percentage of hospital staff reporting feedback and communications about errors:
• 10th percentile: 58 percent
• 25th percentile: 63 percent
• Median: 68 percent
• 75th percentile: 74 percent
• 90th percentile: 78 percent
• Average: 68 percent
90. Percentage of hospital staff reporting frequency of events that had potential to cause harm but did not cause harm and were reported:
• 10th percentile: 57 percent
• 25th percentile: 61 percent
• Median: 67 percent
• 75th percentile: 71 percent
• 90th percentile: 76 percent
• Average: 67 percent
91. Percentage of hospital staff reporting communication and openness:
• 10th percentile: 55 percent
• 25th percentile: 59 percent
• Median: 64 percent
• 75th percentile: 68 percent
• 90th percentile: 72 percent
• Average: 64 percent
92. Percentage of hospital staff reporting teamwork across units:
• 10th percentile: 50 percent
• 25th percentile: 56 percent
• Median: 61 percent
• 75th percentile: 67 percent
• 90th percentile: 73 percent
• Average: 61 percent
93. Percentage of hospital staff reporting adequate unit staffing to provide quality care:
• 10th percentile: 42 percent
• 25th percentile: 48 percent
• Median: 53 percent
• 75th percentile: 60 percent
• 90th percentile: 66 percent
• Average: 54 percent
94. Percentage of hospital staff reporting smooth informational handoffs & care transitions:
• 10th percentile: 35 percent
• 25th percentile: 41 percent
• Median: 46 percent
• 75th percentile: 54 percent
• 90th percentile: 62 percent
• Average: 48 percent
95. Percentage of hospital staff reporting nonpunitive response to error:
• 10th percentile: 35 percent
• 25th percentile: 39 percent
• Median: 44 percent
• 75th percentile: 51 percent
• 90th percentile: 56 percent
• Average: 45 percent
Percentage of respondents giving their work area a patient safety grade:
96. Excellent: 34 percent
97. Very good: 42 percent
98. Acceptable: 19 percent
99. Poor: 4 percent
100. Failing: 1 percent