Patient safety continues to improve at U.S. hospitals, with the fall 2024 "Hospital Safety Grade" report from The Leapfrog Group showing better results across the country in healthcare-associated infections, hand hygiene and medication safety.
The report, which uses 30 performance measures to assign an A, B, C, D or F grade to hospitals, shows that the country is on the right track for reducing preventable patient harm, according to Leah Binder, the president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.
"Preventable deaths and harm in hospitals have been a major policy concern for decades. So, it is good news that Leapfrog's latest Safety Grades reveal that hospitals across the country are making notable gains in patient safety, saving countless lives," Binder said in a press release. "Next, we need hospitals to accelerate this progress -- because no one should have to die from a preventable error in a hospital."
The Leapfrog Group reported key decreases in certain healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) compared to the fall of 2022. Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) decreased by 38%, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) decreased by 36% and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) decreased by 34%, the organization said.
Next, we need hospitals to accelerate this progress -- because no one should have to die from a preventable error in a hospital.
Leah BinderPresident and CEO, The Leapfrog Group
Additionally, the nation's hospitals have vastly improved in hand hygiene, a patient safety metric that The Leapfrog Group started measuring in 2020. At that time, 11% of hospitals hit The Leapfrog Group's standard for hand hygiene. In this latest report, the organization says 78% of hospitals hit its hand hygiene standards.
Finally, The Leapfrog Group reported improvements in medication safety, a key step forward considering that medication errors are the most common errors to occur in hospitals.
More hospitals are up to The Leapfrog Group's standard for using computerized provider order entry (CPOE), a digital system that helps catch prescribing errors. Separate data has shown that CPOE can reduce prescriber errors by 55%, The Leapfrog Group said. Only 65.6% of hospitals hit The Leapfrog Group's standard for using CPOE in 2018. This year, 88.1% of hospitals hit the organization's standard.
More hospitals are also utilizing barcode medication administration. BCMA helps ensure the right patient gets the right medication. In 2018, just under half (47.3%) of hospitals met Leapfrog's BCMA standards. In 2024, 86.9% did.
Ranking patient safety state by state
In addition to monitoring patient safety trends nationwide, The Leapfrog Group also tracked patient safety grades by state.
The highest proportions of A grades were in Utah, Virginia, Connecticut, North Carolina, New Jersey, California, Rhode Island, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Colorado and South Carolina. This is the third Safety Grade cycle in a row in which Utah has the most A-grade hospitals.
Conversely, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Vermont did not have A-grade hospitals for this Safety Grade cycle, The Leapfrog Group said.
"Despite improvements seen in this fall's Safety Grade, significant variation in performance remains across U.S. hospitals," Binder stated. "That's why it's so important for people to consult grades when making decisions about seeking care. All hospitals are not the same."
Sara Heath has covered news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.
