Leapfrog gives University of Chicago Medicine 'A' in hospital safety

Leapfrog gives University of Chicago Medicine 'A' in hospital safety

June 6, 2012

The University of Chicago Medicine received an A grade in hospital safety in The Leapfrog Group's survey of more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals, according to the national nonprofit organization.

The 3.54 score put the Chicago-based medical center in the top 10th percentile in Leapfrog's "Hospital Safety Score." The score was calculated using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. U.S. hospitals were assigned an A, B, C, D or F for their safety.

Of the 2,652 U.S. hospitals given a grade, 729 received an A, 680 scored a B, 1,111 got a C, and the remaining 132 are pending a grade. Of the 114 hospitals rated in Illinois, 51 received an A.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, says the goal of its initiative is to provide usable public information and to stimulate improvements in public safety. Leapfrog is identifying only those hospitals that received a C grade or better.

"It's The Leapfrog Group's goal to give patients the information they need and deserve before even entering a hospital," Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a statement. "We congratulate the hospitals that earned an A and we look forward to the day when all hospitals in the U.S. will earn the highest scores for putting patient safety first."

To see the University of Chicago Medicine's scores as they compare locally and nationally, visit www.hospitalsafetyscore.org, which also provides information on how consumers can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay.

Calculated under the guidance of Leapfrog's nine-member "Blue Ribbon Expert Panel": John Birkmeyer (University of Michigan), Ashish Jha (Harvard University), Lucian Leape (Harvard University), Arnold Millstein (Stanford University), Peter Pronovost (Johns Hopkins University), Patrick Romano (University of California, Davis), Sara Singer (Harvard University), Tim Vogus (Vanderbilt University), and Robert Wachter (University of California, San Francisco).