Leapfrog Group Launches Updated Hosptial Ratings Web Site

On August 1st, The Leapfrog Group launced an updated web site with new safety and quality information on hospitals nationwide.  To date, 1,169 hospitals have submitted responses to important questions about quality that consumers can use to compare hosptials.  Many more hospitals are expected to participate in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey over the coming months.  The web site shows individual hospital results, which are freely available and updated monthly. 

Along with questions about whether hospitals have implemented patient safety practices endorsed by the National Quality Forum, for the first time ever, the Leapfrog Survey queries hospitals about their use of resources and efficiency in performing certain procedures.  It also asks for rates of "hospital acquired conditions" such as bed sores, falls and burns.  And based on data submitted by participating hospitals, it also estimates the odds of dying at those hospitals as a result of undergoing certain high-risk surgeries.  For more about what's new in the 2008 Leapfrog Survey, visit: https://leapfrog.medstat.com/pdf/whatsnew.pdf.