Top-rated orgs see up to 50% lower patient safety indicators

The U.S. healthcare industry could've avoided more than 100,000 patient safety events between 2021 and 2023 had every hospital performed as well as Healthgrades' 2025 Patient Safety Excellence Award winners, the company said in a press release.

The winners represent 442 hospitals from 40 states nationwide ranking in the top 10% of hospitals for patient safety benchmarks. Healthgrades calculates its rankings using MedPAR data measuring clinical performance across 13 patient safety indicators (PSIs). Each PSI represents a serious, potentially preventable patient safety incident or complication.

This year's awardees outperformed other hospitals in the nation in four PSIs in particular: In-hospital fall resulting in fracture (54% less likely to occur), collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest (54.8% less likely to occur), pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital (69.4% less likely to occur) and catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital (72% less likely to occur).

This is notable because these four PSI accounted for around three-quarters of all patient safety events between 2021 and 2023, Healthgrades said.

All said, had patient safety rates in all hospitals mirrored those in the top-ranked hospitals, the U.S. could have voided 100,891 patient safety events between 2021 and 2023.

Understanding patient safety at various hospitals nationwide should help center the priority on patient safety, according to Debra Gradlick, MD, FACEP, senior physician consultant at Healthgrades. Moreover, this data should help consumers and their family caregivers make informed decisions when planning certain types of care.

"As one of the most important aspects of hospital quality, patient safety should always be a top consideration for consumers seeking the best care possible," Gradlick said in a public statement.

"Healthgrades' Patient Safety Excellence Award offers transparent, data-driven insights on hospitals that consistently place patient safety at the forefront and deliver exceptional results in this aspect of care. With this information consumers can feel confident they are making an informed decision about their healthcare."

Indeed, patient safety is getting better across the U.S., separate analyses have found. Save from a COVID-induced dip in patient safety events, the nation has been on an upward trajectory in protecting against adverse patient safety events, according to data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

But patients aren't exactly perceiving those improvements, according to an April 2024 report from Press Ganey. More specifically, patient perceptions of safety depend on where the patient receives care.

Patients who received care on an outpatient basis were far more likely to report good perceptions of patient safety. In 2019, 78.8%of patients getting outpatient care agreed that staff protected safety; by 2023, that figure rose to 81.8%.

In contrast, patients receiving care inside a hospital on an inpatient basis were less inclined to report good patient safety. In 2019, 73.5%agreed staff provides care in a safe manner compared to just 68.2% who agreed in 2023.

The disparities likely stem from the types of conditions treated on an inpatient basis. Patients in hospitals usually deal with more serious conditions, stressing them and affecting how they perceive inpatient hospital safety.

Still, as the healthcare industry continues to prioritize greater patient safety, organizations should work to emphasize safety as an overall, core value. Using more integrated approaches to patient and staff safety, organizations might see improved patient safety reflected in patient experience scores.

Sara Heath has reported news related to patient engagement and health equity since 2015.