Marking the tenth anniversary of the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, the Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization representing the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, driven in Washington state by the Washington Health Alliance, announced the fall 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.
The Leapfrog Group has a 10-year history of assigning letter grades to general hospitals throughout the United States, based on a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Hospital Safety Grade results are based on more than 30 national performance measures and are updated each fall and spring.
In Washington, 46 hospitals were graded, and 16 earned an “A,” 11 earned a “B,” 18 earned a “C,” one earned a “D,” and there were no hospitals that received an “F.” A full list of the Washington hospital safety grades can be found on the Leapfrog Group website.
Notably, Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle has earned an “A” in Washington every year for the past decade since 2012. Also, Virginia Mason and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Network were both named Leapfrog Top Hospitals for 2022. Information about the Top Hospital methodology can be found on .
Nationwide, Washington ranked 12th overall for the percentage of eligible hospitals receiving an “A,” which is up from 16th place last Spring. In this time, Island Hospital in Anacortes improved its safety grade from a “B” to an “A.”
“For the past decade, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade has served as an important benchmark for all Washington’s hospitals striving toward safer environments for patients,” said Dr. Sharon Eloranta, the Alliance’s medical director. “We are encouraged that so many hospitals participate and make continued efforts to address patient safety and wellbeing. We encourage purchasers in our state to make safety an important element of consideration as they work to provide benefits to their employees and members.”
While Washington is home to more than 100 hospitals, only 46 are eligible for grading by Leapfrog. A majority of the remaining facilities are critical access hospitals – small, often rural and remote – and are not graded for patient safety.
“Full commitment of hospital leadership to safety remains essential. With transparency, hospitals have made tremendous progress over the last decade across patient safety measures and have the potential to make similar strides over the next 10 years,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We congratulate the hospitals in this community that have proven their commitment to prioritizing patient safety. This achievement is no easy feat, considering the pandemic’s impact on care.”
For more information about the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, as well as individual hospital grades and state rankings, please visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook, and via its newsletter.
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Nicholas Rondinone, the Alliance’s senior communications manager, at nrondinone@wahealthalliance.org or 206-454-2961.