Hospital safety information
A 1999
Institute of Medicine (IOM) report indicated that up to 98,000 people die each year in America's hospitals as a result of medical mistakes that are preventable. This statistic spurred employers and government organizations to look for ways to judge and compare the safety of hospitals.
How to learn about hospital safety and the ratings of local hospitals
The Leapfrog Group hospital safety ratings
The Leapfrog Group's goal is to use employer purchasing power to inspire breakthrough improvements in the safety and overall value of health care. Leapfrog is sponsored by The Business Roundtable (BRT), a national association of Fortune 500 CEOs.
The Leapfrog group has identified three ways to measure hospital safety, which lets employers, health plans and the public compare hospitals and health care provider performance.
These measures are:
- Computer physician order entry (CPOE)
- ICU physician staffing
- Evidence-based hospital referral (EHR)
See how hospitals rate on safety
Go to the Leapfrog website and enter your ZIP code or city to find ratings for hospitals.
