Association between hospital-reported Leapfrog Safe Practices scores and inpatient mortality.
The Leapfrog Group has been a major driver of patient safety efforts—more than 1000 hospitals have committed to implementing its recommendations for computerized provider order entry, intensivist coverage for critically ill patients, evidence-based referral for certain diagnoses, and implementation of the National Quality Forum's (NQF) Safe Practices. A prior study found that hospitals that had implemented at least one Leapfrog practice tended to provide higher quality of care for specific diagnoses. However, in this study, adoption of the NQF safe practices did not correlate with reduced inpatient mortality. The authors note that many hospitals could score highly on the Leapfrog Hospital Survey but not fully implement or consistently follow safety recommendations, as the survey only measures a hospital's self-reported implementation of safety practices.