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Leapfrog names 41 top hospitals

Quality Improvement Monitor, September 21, 2007

The Leapfrog Group has named 41 hospitals top performers in quality and safety.

The results were based on its annual survey, which looks at the following four areas:

1. Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE): Do physicians enter patient prescriptions and other orders into computers linked to error prevention software?

2. ICU Physician Staffing (IPS): Are intensive care units staffed by trained ICU specialists (intensivists)?

3. Evidence-Based Hospital Referral (EBHR): How well do hospitals perform seven high-risk procedures and care for three high-risk neonatal conditions?

4. Leapfrog Safe Practices Score (SPS): How well are hospitals progressing on the other 27 National Quality Forum-endorsed Safe Practices?

The 2007 Top Hospitals list is based on 1,285 hospitals that responded to the Leapfrog Hospital Quality and Safety Survey as of August 31, according to a press release from Leapfrog.

The survey revealed some bright spots -- as well as some sobering news -- about the state of healthcare. They include:

Only 10% of hospitals have fully implemented CPOE. Another 4% plan to implement it by 2008.

Among hospitals with one or more ICUs, 29% enlist intensive care specialists to manage patients in the ICU, and another 6% plan to do so by 2008. This is a significant jump since 2002 when just 10 % met the Leapfrog standard.

Leapfrog estimates that more than 20,000 lives are saved annually based on current implementation of the IPS staffing; more than 54,000 could be saved if the IPS standard were implemented in all urban hospitals with ICUs.

32% have neonatal intensive care units that meet Leapfrog's specifications for certain high-risk deliveries

24% meet the standard for bariatric surgery, which is new to the survey this year

7% meet the standard for pancreatic cancer resection

5% meet the standard for esophageal cancer surgery

3% meet the standard for percutaneous coronary interventions

1% meet the standard for aortic valve replacement

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