Choosing the Best Hospital

Every day, we make choices about where we shop, who we bank with, what cars we drive, and on and on. Yet despite our consumer culture, some people aren't even aware they can choose what hospital they go to. We're here to change that.

Your choice of hospital could be a life or death decision. Hospitals vary greatly on things like infection rates, surgical errors, and patient injuries--not to mention ER wait times, patient satisfaction, and other things we're just now starting to measure.

Choosing the best hospital for you doesn't have to be a daunting task—as long as you have the right tools. Your first step in finding the best care for yourself and your family is finding a safer hospital. Use the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade search tool to find the safest hospital in your area, preferably one with an "A" grade. Now, think about what type of care you might need. Are you getting ready to have a baby? Do you or a family member need surgery?

In addition to issuing Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades twice per year, The Leapfrog Group also collects and publicly reports information on hospital quality and resource use through our annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey. We focus on the issues that really matter to patients—from maternity care and surgical outcomes, to medication errors and adequate training.  

So, if you or a family member needs surgery, you can see how your hospital compares on mortality rates of certain high-risk procedures. If you are pregnant, you can find out how your hospital does on maternity care metrics like C-sections and managing high-risk deliveries. If you're concerned about a seriously-ill parent or family member, you can look at ICU staffing protocols and how the hospital uses computerized prescribing and bar-code technology to keep patients safe from medication errors. 

You can learn more about choosing the best hospital on the Leapfrog website.