The Leapfrog Group announced its 2015 Top Hospitals, a coveted list of hospitals that performed at the highest levels, nationally, based on Leapfrog’s quality and safety standards, considered the most rigorous of its kind. More than 1600 hospitals report on those standards through the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey and the results are publicly reported for use by Leapfrog’s constituency of employers and other purchasers, as well as their employees and the public at large.
This year, 98 Top Hospitals are receiving this competitive distinction. Of those, 12 were recognized as Top Children’s Hospitals, up from nine honored last year. They are joined by 24 Top Rural Hospitals, one of the few distinctions made available for rural and critical access hospitals, and 62 Top Urban Hospitals. California, Massachusetts and Maine continue to boast high numbers of Top Hospitals and, for the first time, New Hampshire and Utah also have Top Hospitals in their states. Additionally, 41 hospitals became Top Hospitals for the first time this year and 36 hospitals are achieving the honor for the second consecutive year.
“We’re honored to recognize hospitals that showcase the best of American health care. It takes leadership, teamwork and absolute dedication to patients to achieve this award,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We are also proud of all the hospitals that volunteer to publicly report to Leapfrog, and we’ve seen amazing growth and improvements in those hospitals. By setting Leapfrog’s tough standards as a goal and publicly reporting their progress, they are earning the trust of their communities.”
Overall, Top Hospitals tend to have lower infection rates, higher survival rates for high-risk procedures, decreased length of stay and fewer readmissions. Among other metrics included in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey that Top Hospitals tend to excel on: maternity care, evidence of a hospital’s ability to prevent medication errors and appropriate staffing to ensure quality of care.
The Leapfrog Hospital Survey compares hospitals’ performance on national standards of patient safety, quality, efficiency and management structures that prevent errors, and publicly reports the results for use by consumers and purchasers. The Survey provides the most comprehensive picture of how patients fare at individual institutions. The data collected also enables hospitals to benchmark their progress and measure the care they deliver.
To see the methodology and the full list of honorees in 2015, please click here.