Ensuring Patient Safety: Leapfrog Group Initiatives
“Healthcare value means the right care at the right price and place, and the Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value has been a national role model in the movement for value. They use the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade and Leapfrog Hospital and Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Surveys strategically to insist that quality and safety are top priorities, and to develop novel reporting that allows employers to tie their investment in health care to the excellence they expect for their employees.”
Leah Binder, MA, MGA, President & CEO
The Leapfrog Group
The Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value’s Ashley Tait-Dinger, MBA, on How the Hospital Safety Grade Keeps It Simple for Users
The Challenge
According to a 2016 study published in the BMJ medical journal, deaths from medical errors may be responsible for more than a quarter of a million deaths annually, making it the third leading cause of death (click here for the full study).
At the Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value, we believe that employers have the right to ensure that their employees and their families receive the highest quality patient care, free from harm. The Leapfrog Group is a national, nonprofit watchdog organization that works to foster positive change in the quality and safety of American health care.
One of their main initiatives — The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade — assigns letter grades A-F to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. In one study, researchers found that when compared to “A” hospitals:
- Patients at “D” and “F” hospitals face a 92% greater risk of avoidable death.
- Patients at “C” hospitals on average face an 88% greater risk of avoidable death.
- Patients at “B” hospitals on average face a 35% greater risk of avoidable death.
Click here for the full Leapfrog study report.
Our Solution
Ensuring safe, high-quality care for all Floridians has always been our mission and our purpose. As Florida’s Regional Leader for The Leapfrog Group since 2002, the Florida Alliance for Healthcare Value is the force driving the need for change and improvement as well as transparency throughout our state.
In addition to promoting The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade program, we use the collective leverage of our employer members to request that all of Florida’s hospitals fully participate in Leapfrog’s flagship initiative — The Leapfrog Hospital Survey. It collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers lifesaving information to make informed decisions.
We also analyze the data collected by Leapfrog for our employer members, providing them with Employer Action Reports. These are an effective tool that provides them with actionable information to urge improvement in the safety and quality of the care their employees receive.
The Results
- We have worked to increase participation by Florida’s hospitals in The Leapfrog Hospital Survey program from 60% in 2015 to 81% in 2019.
- During that same timeframe, the number of “Top Hospitals” in Florida has increased from 4% to 18%. The “Top Hospital” designation is a competitive award presented by Leapfrog to the highest performing A-rated hospitals on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. These hospitals meet Leapfrog’s highest standards, including lower infection rates and systems to prevent medical errors.
- In 2019, Florida had 21 “Top Hospitals” — more than any other state in the country.
Contact
For more information about our patient safety initiatives with The Leapfrog Group, please contact Ashley Tait-Dinger, MBA.
