2009 Leapfrog Survey Results for the "Five Leaps"
Why is this important and how does it affect my child and my family?
To make the best decision about where to seek health care, parents, families and other care givers should be fully informed about a hospital's quality and safety. The Leapfrog Group survey provides consumers and healthcare purchasers with valuable information on important quality and safety indicators reported by hospitals across the country.
The survey rates hospitals on a broad range of quality and safety issues, using the following scoring system:
- Fully meets standards: 4 out of 4 possible bars
- Substantial progress: 3 out of 4 possible bars
- Some progress: 2 out of 4 possible bars
- Willing to report: 1 out of 4 possible bars
How Cincinnati Children's Scored on the 2009 Leapfrog Survey
Fast Fact: Of the ten 2009 U.S. News & World Report "Honor Roll" hospitals, only Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Children's Hospital Los Angeles earned 100% in each of the five leaps.
- Prevent Medication Errors: Do physicians enter prescriptions and other orders into computers linked to medication error prevention software? Are those systems tested to assure that users are warned about serious prescribing errors?
Why this is important: Parents should choose a hospital that uses a CPOE system to order medications, tests, and procedures. These systems alert doctors and other prescribers to potentially serious problems with their instructions.
Cincinnati Children's "Fully Meets Standards" in this area.
- Appropriate Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staffing: Are hospital intensive care units staffed by qualified specialists?
Why this is important: Parents should choose a hospital with intensive care units staffed by doctors with special training in critical care medicine ("intensivists”).
Cincinnati Children's "Fully Meets Standards" in this area.
- Steps to Avoid Harm: Has the hospital implemented safety practices and policies advocated by the National Quality Forum?
Why this is important: Hospitals with a high Leapfrog Safe Practices Score have implemented procedures to reduce 13 common, preventable mistakes.
Cincinnati Children's "Fully Meets Standards" in this area.
- Managing Serious Errors: Has the hospital implemented Leapfrog’s policy on managing serious events that occur within their facility?
Why this is important: Parents should choose a hospital that has implemented Leapfrog’s policy on managing serious events. For more information on this policy, visit Leapfrog’s web page on managing serious events.
Cincinnati Children's "Fully Meets Standards" in this area.
- Reduce ICU Infections: How does the hospital compare with others in reducing catheter-associated bloodstream infections in the ICU?
Why this is important: By reliably implementing proven care tactics, catheter-associated bloodstream infections can be significantly impacted, resulting in improved safety for patients.
Cincinnati Children's "Fully Meets Standards" in this area.
View Cincinnati Children's scores and access comparison rankings for other hospitals.
We Want Your Feedback
We would like to know what you think of the information presented here. Please send us an email to let us know if you found this web page helpful and easy to understand, or if there's additional information you need, but couldn't find (childrens-quality@cchmc.org).
Last updated March 2009.
