The Leapfrog Group released its spring 2023 Hospital Safety Grades on May 3, assigning "A" through "F" grades to nearly 3,000 general hospitals for patient safety performance.
Six things to know:
- Leapfrog releases the grades every fall and spring. The ratings are based on up to 22 quality measures compiled primarily by the group. Measures include how well hospitals protect patients from preventable medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.
- Twenty-nine percent of hospitals received an "A," 26 percent received a "B," 39 percent received a "C," 6 percent received a "D" and less than 1 percent received an "F."
- The top 10 states with the highest percentages of "A" hospitals are New Jersey, Idaho, Utah, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado, Virginia and Massachusetts.
- There were no "A" hospitals in Delaware, Washington, D.C., or North Dakota.
- There were 20 straight-"A" hospitals and five straight-"F" hospitals.
- An analysis found a decline in five patient experience measures that affect patient safety outcomes: nurse communication, doctor communication, staff responsiveness, communication about medicine and discharge information. The average of all five measures was down compared to pre-pandemic numbers, with the most significant decline in communication about medicine (4.28 percent decrease) and staff responsiveness (3.46 percent decrease).
To view the state rankings for Leapfrog's spring 2023 update, click here.