The Leapfrog Hospital Survey is a national, evidence-based survey of hospital safety, quality, and efficiency. Annually over 1200 hospitals report to the Leapfrog Hospital Survey on certain aspects of care found to be of most importance to consumers. Leapfrog’s survey has three overall focus areas of which two apply to pediatric hospitals:
- How patients fare – Leapfrog asks hospitals to report on how patients in their hospital fare while undergoing certain surgical procedures, and whether or not they have acquired an injury or infection during their hospital stay.
- Management practices that promote safety and quality – Leapfrog asks hospitals to report on things that their administration and leadership have adopted to promote safety and quality. For example, computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems, which are used so doctors can order medications electronically, have been shown to reduce medication errors by up to 85% because they contain decision-support tools designed to alert doctors to potential drug to drug interactions, allergies and other common prescribing errors.
For information related to our adult hospitals, visit the Methodist Healthcare Quality Report.
Leapfrog uses a cell phone bar ratings system so people can see a hospital’s progress in meeting our safety and quality standards:
Le Bonheur Children's Hospital Leapfrog Group Hospital Ratings
What These Indicators Mean & Why They’re Important to You
Doctors order medications through a computer: Patients should choose a hospital that uses computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) systems to order medications, tests, and procedures. CPOE systems are computer systems designed to alert doctors and other prescribers to potentially serious problems with their instructions.
Specially trained doctors care for ICU patients: Patients should choose a hospital with an intensive care unit (ICU) that is staffed by doctors and other caregivers who have special training in critical care medicine. These doctors are called ‘intensivists.’
Steps to Avoid Harm: Patients should choose a hospital that has a high Leapfrog Safe Practice Score. This means the hospital has put in place procedures to reduce common, preventable medical mistakes. Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is committed to outstanding patient care. Registered nurse staffing is one component that influences that quality and safety of care. Nursing staffing is based on each clinical unit’s unique circumstances (e.g., physical plant, patient conditions, experience of staff), the staffing levels recommended by specialty nursing organizations, and most important, the intensity of care and changing needs of our patients.
Never Events Management: Patients should choose a hospital that has implemented Leapfrog’s policy on managing serious events (or “never events”) such as surgery on the wrong body part or death due to contaminated drugs or devices.
