In preparation for 2026, Leapfrog proposes a comprehensive program redesign to vastly increase access to patient safety and quality ratings for consumers and purchasers and make it easier to compare ASCs side-by-side. The goal of the Leapfrog ASC Survey--as well as the Leapfrog Hospital Survey-- has always been the same: give the public meaningful, independent ratings to help them make informed decisions about where to receive their health care. We have struggled to achieve this goal with the Leapfrog ASC Survey. This programmatic redesign aims to give consumers and purchasers the same level of visibility into ASCs that Leapfrog has given them into hospitals, while making it easier for ASCs to participate in Leapfrog’s voluntary, annual Survey.
Leapfrog’s ASC Public Reporting Program is the result of a year of intense engagement with our Ambulatory Surgery Center Advisory Committee, outreach to ASC networks and health systems, meetings with leading accrediting organizations including the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and The Joint Commission (TJC), and close consultation with Leapfrog’s community of authoritative experts in performance improvement, including our national expert panels, the research team at Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and, above all, our constituency of purchasers, employers, and consumer advocates.
Key Components of Leapfrog’s New ASC Public Reporting Program:
- Make CMS ASCQR Data More Accessible to Consumers and Purchasers - Score and Publicly Report 12 Measures from the CMS ASCQR Program on Leapfrog’s Public Reporting Website for All ASCs Regardless of Participation in the Leapfrog ASC Survey 2.0
- Highlight National Accreditation Standards and Replace Some Reporting Requirements - Score and Publicly Report 5 Measures Aligned with AAAHC and TJC Accreditation Standards on Leapfrog’s Public Reporting Website for All ASCs that Submit Accreditation Certificate Regardless of Participation in the Leapfrog ASC Survey 2.0
- Maintain Measures of Utmost Importance to Consumers and Purchasers – Score and Publicly Report 8 Additional Measures for ASCs that Voluntarily Submit the Leapfrog ASC Survey 2.0
Leapfrog is now accepting public comments on the Proposed Changes to the 2026 ASC Survey (below). We encourage ASCs and other stakeholders to pay special attention to the following Proposed Changes:
- CMS ASCQR Measures: Will be removed from the Leapfrog ASC Survey. Eight (8) outcome measures and four (4) OAS CAHPS Domains will be scored and publicly reported for all ASCs regardless of participation in ASC Survey.
- Clinicians Certified in Advanced Life Support Always Present, Use of a Safe Surgery Checklist, Medication and Allergy Documentation, Leadership Structures and Systems to Support Patient Safety, Identification and Mitigation of Patient Safety Risks: Will be removed from the Leapfrog ASC Survey. ASCs that upload documentation of AAAHC or TJC Deemed Status will be scored and publicly reported as Achieved the Standard for these five (5) measures.
- Billing Ethics: Proposal to update response option and scoring algorithm for facilities regarding legal action taken against patients for late or insufficient payments.
- Infection Surveillance (NHSN Outpatient Procedure Component Module): Proposal to standardize the SSI reporting period.
- Hand Hygiene: Proposal to update the Hand Hygiene Standard to more closely align with ASC operations.
- Culture of Safety: Proposal to remove elements from the standard to more closely align with ASC operations.
- Nursing Workforce: Proposal to remove these questions from the Survey.
- Total Hip and Knee Replacements: Proposal to add a new optional, fact-finding question to assess if the hospital has surgeons that perform both total knee and total hip replacement procedures.
- Facility Volume Reporting: Proposal to make optional.
View the Proposed Changes to the 2026 Leapfrog ASC Survey (PDF).
Submit a Public Comment Here.
Comments will be accepted until midnight ET on December 18, 2025.