The state-by-state, twice-yearly rankings from Leapfrog Group provide a snapshot of safety scores at approximately 2,500 acute-care hospitals across the United States.
New findings in a national study of hospital safety suggest that hospitals are reducing avoidable deaths from errors and infections.
The Leapfrog Group's bi-annual 2018 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades provides letter grades for thousands of general, acute-care hospitals across the United States, and found that:
- Of the approximately 2,500 hospitals graded, 30% earned an "A," 28% earned a "B," 35% a "C," 6% a "D" and 1% an "F";
- Hawaii's hospitals were ranked the safest in the nation in a state-by-state comparison, with 73% of the hospitals in the Aloha State earning an "A".
- Alaska, Delaware, and North Dakota were in a three-way tie for last place, with none of their hospitals earning an "A" grade.
- Five "A" hospitals receiving this grade for the very first time had an "F" grade in the past;
- 46 hospitals achieved an "A" for the first time since the Leapfrog grading began six years ago;
- 89 hospitals receiving an "A" at one point had received a "D" or "F";
- Continued strong performance from states including Rhode Island, Hawaii, Wisconsin, and Idaho which once ranked near the bottom of the state rankings of percentage of "A" hospitals but now rank in the top 10;
- 49 hospitals nationwide have achieved an "A" in every grading update since the launch of the Safety Grade in spring 2012.
John Commins is the news editor for HealthLeaders.