"Purchasers and consumers deserve transparency from the hospitals they entrust their lives to, and the time has come for every hospital in America to be held to the Leapfrog gold standard for public accountability."
The Leapfrog Group today announced a significant new expansion to the roll-out of its annual hospital safety and quality survey. For over a decade, Leapfrog members and partners—employers, purchasing groups, business coalitions on health, as well as health plans—have invited a targeted list of hospitals to participate in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Beginning with the 2013 Survey, which opened on April 1st, Leapfrog members are launching a national roll-out, formally inviting every general, acute care adult and free-standing pediatric hospital across the country to participate in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. All hospitals that do not complete a survey by the deadline of June 30, 2013 will be publicly reported as "Declined to Respond" on Leapfrog's Hospital Survey Results website.
The Leapfrog Hospital Survey has always been open to any American hospital at no cost, though it was initially targeted to hospitals in specific regions. As part of the national roll-out, Leapfrog and its members have sent information regarding survey participation to all hospital CEOs. The group urges hospital CEOs to watch their mail, and if they don't receive the information by mid-April, to please contact the survey help desk.
The evidence-based, safety and quality survey is free to all hospitals. Information collected through the survey is published on Leapfrog’s public reporting website, which is used by healthcare consumers, purchasers, researchers, and others. The survey includes important measures of safety and quality not reported nationally by hospital anywhere else, including implementation of computerized physician order entry to prevent medication errors, ICU Physician Staffing to reduce mortality in intensive care units, rates of early elective newborn deliveries, and adoption of nationally-endorsed safety practices. More information, including a copy of the survey, can be found here.
"Purchasers and consumers deserve transparency from the hospitals they entrust their lives to, and the time has come for every hospital in America to be held to the Leapfrog gold standard for public accountability," said Leah Binder, Leapfrog President and CEO.
Results of the 2013 Survey will be released in late July 2013. Hospitals can continue to review and update their data until December 31st when the Leapfrog Hospital Survey closes. Leapfrog has a variety of resources available to hospitals, including a dedicated help desk, free town hall calls, and a new Hospital Survey Users Group, in addition to the survey documentation, fact sheets, and reference materials available on the survey website.