WESTMONT, N.J., April 9, 2024 – Health Transformation Alliance (HTA), a cooperative of more than 60 of America’s largest employers, The Leapfrog Group, an HTA member, and Turquoise Health today announced the recognition of 472 hospitals for their efforts in demonstrating excellence in patient safety through The Leapfrog Group and the highest level of adherence to the Federal (HSS) Hospital Price Transparency Rule evaluated by Turquoise Health.
“HTA’s member companies are united in the belief that all Americans should have access to affordable, high-quality health care,” said Robert E. Andrews, HTA Chief Executive Officer. “We are deeply invested in improving health outcomes for the more than 4 million lives we are collectively responsible for. Their exemplary achievements in patient safety and price transparency are a notable example of what we can achieve when we put patients first. Our goal is for all hospitals in America’s health care system to meet the standards these hospitals have met – it should be the norm, not the exception.”
Of the 2730 total hospitals that received a Leapfrog Safety Grade rating, the honored institutions received the highest grade on patient safety, a Leapfrog Safety Grade A, and the highest score on price transparency which is 5 stars based on Turquoise Health’s evaluation of the machine-readable files posted by hospitals. These hospitals represent less than 20% of all hospitals, pointing out the strong need for improvement in the health care system more broadly.
“We encourage all hospitals to look to these industry leaders in both patient safety and price transparency as a model for how to provide patient-centered, high-quality care. In following their example and commitment to safety and price transparency, we believe the health care industry can collectively strive towards better health outcomes for all,” said Andrews.
The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit organization founded by employers. It is the nation’s premier advocate of transparency and patient safety in health care. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a letter grade rating of how safe hospitals are for patients, offers consumers critical information about how likely they are to experience accidents, injuries, errors or harm while in the hospital.
“Preventable medical errors kill more than 200,000 people every year. At Leapfrog, it is our mission to serve as a voice for health care purchasers, using their collective influence to foster radical, positive change in U.S. health care,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO, The Leapfrog Group. “We are grateful to be working alongside HTA and Turquoise Health to champion transparency in all aspects of health care, including patient safety.”
Updated twice per year, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade provides visibility into patient safety records of hospitals across the country. The score is also commonly used by national and regional health plans and vendors to educate their users on the importance of choosing a safer hospital. Hospitals recognized with a Safety Grade A demonstrate the highest quality of care.
In addition to receiving the highest grade possible for patient safety, the hospitals being recognized also have the highest level of adherence to the Federal Price Transparency Rule, which makes it easier for consumers to shop and compare prices and estimate the cost of care before going to the hospital. Achieving this level of adherence earned the hospitals’ top scores from Turquoise Health for price transparency.
Turquoise Health fills a unique role in the health care ecosystem by advocating for price transparency and supporting providers, payers and employers in facilitating transparent relationships. As the industry’s most comprehensive pricing platform, Turquoise Health is dedicated to eliminating the financial complexity of health care, helping to lower costs and empower patients to make informed decisions. Only 57% of hospital systems currently earn top scores from Turquoise Health.
“At Turquoise, it is our mission to enable the adoption of price transparency. From empowering patients to make informed choices about their care, to encouraging competition that improves affordability, we believe that having access to usable data is a powerful tool in creating positive change in our health care system,” said Chris Severn, CEO and Co-founder of Turquoise Health. “Together with HTA and the Leapfrog Group, we’re proud to call attention to the hospitals that have a proven track record of embracing transparency as a means to improve the patient’s experience and quality of care.”
Notable is Turquoise Health’s evaluation of the machine-readable files posted by hospitals is most current data as of September 2023.
“On behalf of the member companies of the HTA, I offer my sincere gratitude to the Leapfrog Group and Turquoise Health for working diligently to improve transparency within our health care system. We are honored to partner with them to shine a light on the hospitals that are getting it right,” said Andrews.
472 hospitals have been recognized by the HTA, The Leapfrog Group and Turquoise Health for their exemplary scores in patient safety and price transparency. A full list of the hospitals that achieved exemplary scores in both patient safety and price transparency can be found on the downloadable PDF.
About Health Transformation Alliance
The Health Transformation Alliance (HTA) is a cooperative of more than 60 of America's leading employers that have come together to fix our broken health care system. With responsibility for more than 4 million lives in the United States and a collective annual health care spend of $27 billion, the member companies of the HTA have combined their resources, knowledge, and experience to transform the way health care is delivered. To that end, the HTA has developed value-driven solutions in data and analytics, pharmacy, medical and consumer engagement specifically designed to improve patient care and economic value. For more information, visit www.htahealth.com.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.
About Turquoise Health
Turquoise Health is the industry's leading health care pricing platform. At the intersection of providers, payers, employers, life sciences organizations and their patients, Turquoise builds products to eliminate the financial complexity of health care. Learn more at: https://turquoise.health.
Media Contact
Keara Donnelly, Berkeley Communications