Researchers and doctors know that there are specific tests and treatments that should always be done for certain medical conditions. Unfortunately, this standard care is not always given to patients in hospitals. This oversight can lead to unnecessary injuries, complications, and even death.

Fortunately, there is a way to know which hospitals are doing a better job at delivering the right tests and treatments at the right time. Since 2001, The Leapfrog Group has collected information about the care delivered in America’s hospitals. Leapfrog makes hospital performance information available to consumers through its Hospital Survey Ratings, and now expanded information is available through the Leapfrog Hospital Insights Ratings.

Leapfrog Hospital Insights measures care in five critical clinical areas:

• Heart attack—also known as acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
• Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)—also known as angioplasty
• Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)—also known as bypass surgery
• Pneumonia—also known as community acquired pneumonia (CAP)
• Deliveries/newborn care

For each clinical area, a hospital is rated in two categories:

• Quality — This category measures hospitals on how well they deliver the tests, treatments, and processes of care that are standard practice for the condition. It also asks hospitals if they have put in place health care safety practices known to reduce preventable medical mistakes, such as using computers to order prescriptions. The results are summarized into a Quality Performance Group for each of the five clinical areas.
   
• Efficiency — This category measures hospitals on how long patients stay in the hospital for their particular condition and how often they need to return because of complications. The results are summarized into an Efficiency Performance Group for each of the five clinical areas.