Why the Hospital Safety Grade Works

One of the most significant problems with today’s health care system is the failure to make safety and quality information available to the public. But the public deserves this information so they can make informed choices about where to receive care. The purpose of the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is to bring this information to light in a way that is easy for you – the consumer – to use.

Some people do more research on what car to buy than what hospital to go to for medical care. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade provides data and research to help you make informed decisions about a critical aspect of your hospital stay – safety. A hospital may have the best surgeons and greatest technology in the world, but unless it is preventing infections and eliminating errors, it is not delivering on a very basic premise: ensuring the safety of you and your loved ones. The goal of the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is to reduce the over 200,000 yearly deaths from hospital errors and injuries by publicly recognizing safety and exposing harm.

Our letter grade scoring system allows consumers to quickly assess the safety of their local hospital, and choose the safest hospital to seek care. As consumers use the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade more and more, we hope more hospitals will be compelled to be open about their safety and quality, and participate in meaningful public reporting.