According to Washington-based Leapfrog’s 2008 Hospital Survey, only 7 percent of hospitals fully meet Leapfrog medication error prevention standards, and low percentages of hospitals are fully achieving mortality standards.
Among surveyed hospitals, efficiency standards — defined as highest quality and lowest resource use —are met by only 24 percent of hospitals for heart bypass surgery, 21 percent for heart angioplasty, 14 percent for heart attack care, and 14 percent for pneumonia care.
The survey also finds that relatively low percentages of reporting hospitals fully meet volume and risk-adjusted mortality standards, adhere to nationally endorsed process measures for eight high risk procedures, or have all recommended policies in place to prevent common hospital-acquired infections.
The voluntary Leapfrog Hospital Survey results include 1,276 hospitals in 37 major U.S. metropolitan areas, representing 48 percent of the urban, general acute-care hospitals (53 percent of hospital beds in these areas).
To view and compare individual hospital results, visit www.leapfroggroup.org.
