The Hospital Safety Score

According to recent studies, one in four Medicare patients will leave a hospital with a potentially fatal issue they didn’t have prior to hospitalization. On average, one medication error per day occurs for each hospitalized patient, and more than 180,000 Americans die every year from hospital accidents, errors, and infections. In response to this silent epidemic, more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals will now receive an A, B, C, D or F Hospital Safety ScoreSM based on patient safety via a first-of-its-kind initiative. A Blue Ribbon Panel of the nation’s top patient safety experts provided guidance to The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, to develop the Hospital Safety Score. The Hospital Safety Score is calculated using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. For the first time, the Hospital Safety Score will highlight the country’s best hospitals and warn against the worst. The Hospital Safety Score website – www.hospitalsafetyscore.org – allows visitors to search hospital scores for free, and also provides information on how the public can protect themselves and loved ones during a hospital stay. Employers and HR Professionals can use this score to educate employees about hospital safety, as well as use the information in health plan negotiations and contracting. This presentation will give an overview of the Hospital Safety Score as well as the impact it’s had since its release last month. The presentation will also detail how it can be used by human resources professionals.

Healthcare benefits decision makers, healthcare consumers, and employers looking to improve healthcare offerings to their employees

1. How to identify a safe hospital 2. The number 1 goal of the Hospital Safety Score is consumer engagement—and that helps employers in the consumer movement 3. The Hospital Safety Score can be used by employers to engage their employees in seeking safer healthcare that may result in lower costs for the employer

www.hospitalsafetyscore.org

		Leah Binder The Leapfrog Group View Profile