Monthly Newsletter
February 2015
LA Times journalist Chad Terhune pens in-depth report on hospital safety in California

"The days of hiding mistakes are over. We all need to be accountable for the work we are doing. We are in the business of healing, not harming." 

 

That's the voice of one hospital leader in California, interviewed by Chad Terhune for an investigative piece on hospital safety and medical errors. We were delighted to see this kind of commitment to patient safety, and to learn how the Hospital Safety Score is being used to drive real improvement across the state. 

 

Read the piece, "How safe is your hospital? A look at California ratings"

Leah Binder's recent Forbes.com post has garnered serious attention

 

In her latest column for Forbes.com, President & CEO Leah Binder writes about the latest news in health care reform: the administration's embrace of new value-based purchasing goals. The post has circulated among the health care pundits, and was referenced by Dan Diamond for his story, "The Measles Outbreak Is a Big Story. This One's Bigger.

Here's an excerpt:

On the one hand, this is promising forward momentum that has been long overdue. Virtually everyone hates fee-for-service, with its perverse incentives that end up paying providers more money for worse care. An avoidable hospital acquired infection, for instance, results in more services and more fees, meaning that bad outcomes yield good money. This announcement commits Medicare to fast-track the much more sensible approach of tying payments directly to the quality of care delivered to the patient.

On the other hand, the plan heavily relies on the success of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)-success that has yet to be fully realized...read more
National Patient Safety Foundation releases groundbreaking report

 

"What if there were a magic pill that could fix many of the problems of patient safety, health care quality, patient engagement, and health care cost?"

It already exists. And it's called transparency.

Read the groundbreaking new report from the National Patient Safety Foundation, "Shining a Light: Safer Health Care Through Transparency" showing the potential for transparency to radically overhaul our healthcare system.

PS: Tune in to NPSF's special webcast on the report on Thursday, February 12, from 12:00-1:00 pm ET (registration required)
Johns Hopkins research reveals a troubling trend

In a study published in the American Journal of Medical Quality, researchers at Johns Hopkins found that ICU patients that contract a preventable central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), cost three times more to care for than uninfected patients.

More that's not surprising? Hospitals earn nearly nine times more for treating infected patients, who spend an average of 24 days in the hospital. Yet, it is the private insurers who foot the bill for these dangerous medical errors.

"The current payment system perversely penalizes hospitals with fewer infections," Hsu, one author, says. "What should happen instead is that hospitals should be financially rewarded for preventing harm rather than for treating the resulting illness."

Read more.
AnnualMeeting2Who Pays for Medical Errors?
Leah Binder presented at the third annual Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit

At the third annual Patient Safety, Science & Technology Summit, Leah Binder joined several hundred health care workers, hospital administrators, and patient advocates who have committed to reducing preventable patient deaths. Big names like Vice President Joe Biden and President Bill Clinton also spoke - bringing much-needed attention to the issue of medical harm. 

Watch her panel "Who Pays for Medical Errors?" 

We're on the lookout for a new Marketing & Business Development Coordinator

The Leapfrog Group is seeking a dynamic and detailed-oriented individual to fill the position of Marketing & Business Development Coordinator. The successful candidate will be responsible for managing and cultivating relationships with Leapfrog's current data licensees; will develop marketing materials to promote Leapfrog products; will identify and perform outreach to potential new clients, securing new data licensees; and will contribute creative strategies and sound business ideas to our small entrepreneurial organization, known for its outsized achievements.

Applicants will need to submit a resume and cover letter. Learn more here!
Recent events, articles, and publications from and about The Leapfrog Group

 

The digital medicine movement is growing, but not without real concerns about patient safety. Leah Binder reveals how often systems fail to alert on potential harm. 

Feds move into digital medicine, face doctor backlash
 

Worsening rates of CAUTI may explain the nation's failure to achieve key patient safety goals. But that doesn't mean hospitals don't know what to do about it. 


The New England Patriots made headlines with their last-minute win over the Seattle Seahawks, but Roger Goodell made history two days before. 

The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of public and private purchasers of employee health benefits founded a decade ago to work for improvements in healthcare safety, quality, and affordability. Leapfrog purchaser members use hospital survey results in contracting, open enrollment with their employees and other public reporting, benefits design, and value-based purchasing programs.  The Leapfrog Hospital Survey focuses on three critical areas of patient safety and quality: how patients fare, which includes issues like mortality for common high-risk surgeries and procedures; resources used to care for patients measured by length of stay and readmission rates; and management practices that promote safety and quality, such as adopting computerized physician order entry to reduce medication errors.

 

 

In This Issue