Top hospitals named in Leapfrog list

Leapfrog today released its annual list of top hospitals, with Kaiser Permanente dominating the list of 65 hospitals that earned the designation for quality care.

Noticeably absent from this year's list is Cleveland Clinic, which did make the 2010 list. Earlier this year, the Clinic, among others, stopped reporting infection rates to Leapfrog in favor of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) database.

"While numerous agencies and organizations collect and publicize hospital quality data, the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, now in its eleventh year, is the toughest standard-bearer and provides the most complete picture of a hospital's quality and safety," the Leapfrog press release states.

While some hospitals are electing to report to the federally mandated CMS database, nearly 1,200 other hospitals are submitting data to Leapfrog on a voluntary basis.

"Nearly a fourth of America's hospitals have committed themselves to Leapfrog's exceptionally high level of transparency and accountability--a sign that the hospital industry is increasingly transparent and committed to earning the public trust," Leapfrog CEO Leah Binder said.

Leapfrog determines the top quality hospitals based on those that prevent medical errors; reduce mortality for high-risk procedures, such as heart bypass surgery; and lower hospital readmissions for patients being treated for conditions, such as pneumonia and heart attack. 

For more information:
- see the list and the press release

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