Leapfrog Group Releases Its Fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grade

The Leapfrog Group has released its fall 2024 Hospital Safety Grade, which assigns a letter grade to nearly 3,000 hospitals on “their ability to prevent medical errors, accidents, and infections.”

Utah ranks number one “for the third cycle in a row,” with the highest percentage of hospitals to receive an A grade. Hospitals across the country also seem to be “making progress in patient safety across several performance measures including notable improvements in healthcare-associated infections, hand hygiene, and medication safety.”

Nationally, since fall of 2022, average HAI scores have declined across the board. CLABSI, CAUTI, and MRSA have all decreased in that time span by 34%-38%.

Additionally, the percentage of hospitals achieving a “tough new standard for hand hygiene” established in 2020 has risen from 11% to 78%. Standards surrounding medication errors are also on the rise, as Leapfrog’s standard for “Computerized Physician Order Entry” is being met by 88.1% of hospitals, compared to 65.6% in 2018. “Bar Code Medication Administration” standards being met has also risen from 47.3% in 2018 to 86.9% this year.

Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, cautions that there is still “significant variation in performance” across U.S. hospitals in spite of the improvements. The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Study Grade is updated in the fall and spring of each year.