June 11^th, 2015

New Report Indicates One in Four Hospitals in Michigan Must Improve Hand-Hygiene Practices to Prevent Infections

Rural Hospitals Lag Behind on Safe Practices

Novi, MI: The Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM) announced today that nearly one-quarter (24 percent) of Michigan hospitals have not implemented all the safe practices and policies recommended for proper hand-hygiene. The report was released today by nonprofit hospital watchdog, The Leapfrog Group. Nationally the results, as analyzed by Castlight Health, also indicate that while hospitals overall showed improvement in 2014 for hand-hygiene, rural hospitals aren’t performing as well as their urban counterparts.

“Rural or urban, affluent or safety net, there’s no excuse for a hospital to fail on hand-hygiene,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “It puts patients, clinicians, and all health care workers at risk when hand-washing is not a priority. Hospital-acquired infections kill about 10 percent of those afflicted, according to the Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Key findings from this report include:

• The percentage of hospitals meeting all 10 of Leapfrog’s hand-hygiene practices increased from 69 percent in 2013 to 77 percent in 2014.
• Urban hospitals continue to outperform rural hospitals; about 20 percent more urban hospitals met Leapfrog’s standard and showed greater year-over-year improvement in meeting the standard.
• There is significant geographic variation in adoption of hand-hygiene safe practices: in five states, more than 90 percent of reporting hospitals met all practices, while in six states, only 60 percent or less of reporting hospitals met all practices.

Out of the 102 Michigan hospitals included in the survey, 57 hospitals declined to report, 34 hospitals were fully compliant and 11 were not fully compliant. “We applaud those hospitals willing to disclose various quality and safety measurements to the public,” said EAM President Bret Jackson. “Hospital transparency leads to better care and lower costs.” A list of the 34 fully compliant Michigan hospitals in the survey can be found below.

The EAM urges patients and families to practice hand-washing at home and by asking or reminding caregivers to frequently wash their hands. “The Leapfrog Hospital Survey is a valuable source for the public to use when choosing a hospital,” said Jackson.

Today’s report is the fifth in a series of six reports examining key quality and safety measures at hospitals nationwide, based on data taken from the 2014 Leapfrog Hospital Survey of 1,501 U.S. hospitals and analyzed by Castlight Health. To view the complete hand-hygiene report and other Leapfrog reports, visit: http://www.leapfroggroup.org/HospitalSurveyReport. Data also is searchable by region and by hospital via the Leapfrog Hospital Survey results.

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About EAM

The Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM) is comprised of companies and unions working together to improve the business and jobs climate in the State of Michigan.  Created in 1982, EAM was founded as a private nonprofit corporation by companies and unions in the for-profit sector.  EAM focuses on cooperative, action-oriented endeavors to improve the reality and image of Michigan as a place to do business and be employed.  The EAM is the Michigan Regional Roll-Out coordinator for The Leapfrog Group.  Learn more about us at www.eamonline.org.

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Hospital Safety Score, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. www.leapfroggroup.org.

List of Fully Compliant Hospitals in Michigan for Safe Hand-Hygiene Practices

Hospital/City