Urban hospitals perform poorly on Leapfrog's latest patient safety grades

(Updated on April 24)

The majority of urban hospitals don't perform well on patient safety measures, according to the latest Hospital Safety Grade report released Tuesday by the Leapfrog Group.

Of the 11 hospitals in New York City included in the report, only one—NYC Health & Hospitals/Metropolitan—received an "A" grade from the Leapfrog Group in its spring 2018 report. Additionally, just three of Los Angeles' 12 hospitals got an "A" while only six of Chicago's 18 hospitals did.

Even though hospitals in large cities treat patients with an array of social risk factors, the location of a hospital is no excuse for poor performance on safety, said Leah Binder, CEO of the Leapfrog Group. "Patient safety doesn't depend on the patient population."

All hospitals can—and should— provide safe care, but some still haven't made the strategic commitment it requires, she said. Patient safety has to be the focus of the entire organization, from leadership to front-line staff, to improve performance, she added.

"It's an overhaul of the way you function as an organization," Binder said.

Leapfrog's most recent report shows change is possible, noting that there are five hospitals with A's for the first time when they previously scored an "F."

Leapfrog, which has released hospital safety grades every April and October since 2012, advocates for improved transparency in healthcare. They hope patients will use the safety grades when they choose hospitals.

But there are discrepancies the public needs to consider. Some of the hospitals that received low grades from Leapfrog have been recognized for strong quality performance by other organizations. For example, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Mount Sinai Hospital in New York both received "C" grades from Leapfrog even though they were recently recognized by U.S. News and World Report as "Best Hospitals."

The discrepancies point to a frequent expert criticism of rankings and lists. With so many different quality rankings, it's difficult for patients to decide which sites they should rely on.

Hospitals have also questioned the validity of the methodology Leapfrog uses. Cedars-Sinai said in a statement that it doesn't participate in Leapfrog's hospital survey because it doesn't support the method. The hospital claimed it was penalized with a low grade as a result.

"A more reliable and accurate measure of Cedars-Sinai's quality can be found through reputable sources such as CMS's Hospital Compare," a spokeswoman said.