The Leapfrog Group’s Fall 2023 Hospital Safety Grades Announced:
16 Houston Area Hospitals Earn an A
Texas ranked 10th in the country with 38% of hospitals statewide achieving an A grade
HOUSTON – November 6, 2023 – The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of healthcare, driven in the Houston metroplex by the Houston Business Coalition on Health (HBCH), announced the fall 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. Of the 43 hospitals that were scored, 16 earned an A, 13 a B, 13 a C, and one a D grade, and eight hospitals improved the grade from the spring period.
HBCH serves as the Regional Leader in Houston for The Leapfrog Group. General hospitals earn a safety grade based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting how well the organization protects patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries, and infections. The better the safety grade, the less likely there is a severe event from a hospital stay.
“No one wants patients to suffer from a preventable medical error, but sadly it happens all too often in hospitals across the country,” said Chris Skisak, PhD, HBCH executive director. “Our employer members believe everyone benefits when we know how hospitals are doing so we can work together to prevent these problems and encourage employees and their family members to seek care at hospitals with the highest safety ratings.”
HBCH commends Houston Methodist as all seven of its area hospitals have consistently received A grades over the last eight grading periods.
“We know the pandemic caused tremendous strain on hospitals, but we are encouraged by the significant reduction in infections and applaud the hospitals in Texas that worked to achieve that,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It is clear, however, that many hospitals have not fully rebounded, as shown by the declining patient experience measures. Despite the challenges, we commend the hospitals that are clearly putting patients first.”
The Leapfrog Group has a more than 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the US, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is an independent national nonprofit 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 Houston Business Coalition on Health
The non-profit Houston Business Coalition on Health is the leading resource for Houston employers and their health services providers dedicated to providing health benefits at a sustainable cost while improving the quality and employee experience of their delivery through effective benefits design. With 60 members, HBCH represents approximately 500,000 local and more than 1 million national employer-sponsored lives. HBCH a member of the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions. For additional information visit our website houstonbch.org and follow on LinkedIn and X/formerly Twitter.
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