| Hospitals Can Deliver Care Efficiently, Leapfrog Survey Proves
Forty-five hospitals were cited by the Leapfrog Group
for delivering the best quality care in the nation while attaining the
highest levels of efficiency. The hospitals have been named 2009
Leapfrog Top Hospitals thanks to the recommendations of American
employers.
To be recognized hospitals had to meet such criteria as
implementing computer physician order entry systems, fully meeting
stringent performance standards for complex, high-risk procedures and
fully meeting ICU staffing standards.
Leapfrog said its survey is the only national, public
comparison of hospitals on key issues, such as mortality rates for
certain common procedures, infection rates, safety practices and
efficiency measures.
In addition to meeting quality criteria, the hospitals
also "use their resources wisely, providing excellent and efficient
outcomes for patients," said Leah Binder, Leapfrog’s CEO.
"Regardless of what happens to healthcare reform, these hospitals are
the future."
For the first time Leapfrog also recognized top rural
hospitals, based on efficiency, that included Polk Medical Center,
Cedartown, Ga.; Stephens Memorial Hospital, Norway, Maine; and Waldo
County General Hospital, Belfast, Maine.
"Rural hospitals deserve special recognition as they
often have higher hurdles to clear than their larger, urban
counterparts in terms of access to capital and other resources," said
Binder, a former administrator of a rural hospital.
Leapfrog hospitals are "highly responsive to the
quality, cost and value needs of consumers and large buyers of
healthcare," said David Knowlton, chair of The Leapfrog Group and
president and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute.
This year’s top urban hospitals are located in 13
states: Arizona, California, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Tennessee and Washington.
Top pediatric hospitals in 2009 achieved a quality score
of 95 or better through Leapfrog’s Hospital Recognition Program
and are located in California, District of Columbia, Massachusetts,
Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.
Address: The Leapfrog Group, c/o Academy Health, 1150 17th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington DC 20036; (202) 292-6713, www.leapfroggroup.org.
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