National watchdog organization The Leapfrog Group has announced its 2019 Top Hospitals awards, offering recognition to the highest quality hospitals in the nation.
The hospitals are identified through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which compares performance on national standards of patient safety, quality, efficiency and management structures. In total, 120 hospitals were recognized, including 10 children’s hospitals, 37 general hospitals, 55 teaching hospitals and 18 rural hospitals. The award is designated for less than 6% of eligible facilities, and hospitals can use the award as a means to benchmark their performance.
“Our Top Hospital award, one of the most prestigious in the U.S., recognizes hospitals for ensuring their facilities prioritize safety and quality in patient care,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a statement. “The standards achieved by Top Hospitals reflect the high expectations set by Leapfrog and its expert panels, which starts with a commitment to transparency.”
A handful of states had a high number of top-rated hospitals; Florida, California, Michigan and Virginia boasted nine or more hospitals each. In fact, Florida had the highest number of top hospitals (21), followed by California (16), Michigan (9) and Virginia (9). In Florida, AdventHealth made the list several times, while Kaiser Permanente hospitals also had several mentions in California.
The Leapfrog Group looks at several measures to award the top hospitals distinction, including performance. For example, reducing C-sections, reducing medication errors with technology and implementing surgical volume standards for safety, are all performance measures that can boost a hospital’s rating, The Leapfrog Group noted.
See the full list of Top Hospitals 2019 here.
Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."