Avoidable deaths still an issue at Leapfrog’s higher-rated hospitals

A study found that an estimated 161,250 preventable deaths occur each year in U.S. hospitals, including 75,100 at hospitals assigned A or B quality grades by the Leapfrog Group, which commissioned the research.

The total preventable deaths represent a 22% decline from an estimate of 206,000 three years ago, but still when broken down are spread out among hospitals with all grades, according to a new analysis conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality through a contract with Leapfrog.

“No hospital in this country is perfectly safe. We still have a significant problem with patient safety. Even the highest performing hospitals have problems, none of them are perfect,” said Leah Binder, CEO of the Leapfrog Group. Even with the high number of deaths in the A and B hospitals, Binder pointed to the study’s other finding that the odds of dying in those hospitals is still lower than their peers. Compared with hospitals with an A grade, the risk of an avoidable death was 88% higher in C hospitals and

92% higher in D and F hospitals.

The Leapfrog grades are controversial though, particularly for hospitals, with some refusing to participate because of its methodology.

Rankings and lists are also criticized in healthcare for oversimplifying a complex topic like hospital quality.

The number of A and B hospitals is also much higher than the number of D and F hospitals, which could have contributed to the results, published May 15, she added. Of the 2,620 hospitals assigned a grade, 832 received an A, 681 got a B, 938 were assigned a C, 160 received a D and nine got an F.

Within those categories, the preventable deaths were estimated at: 37,085 in A-graded hospitals, 38,038 in B hospitals, 74,414 in C hospitals, and 11,712 in D and F hospitals.

The authors estimated 50,215 lives could be saved every year if B through F hospitals had the same safety performance as A hospitals. ●