State Ranks Tenth In Nation for Patient Safety

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, driven in the State of Michigan by the Economic Alliance For Michigan (EAM), announced the Fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.

The independent grading system assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over thirty national measures of preventable errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. The fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade represents the largest set of hospitals ever graded with grades assigned to 2,901 facilities across the country.

In Michigan, 88 hospitals were graded, and 35 earned an “A,” 28 earned a “B,” 17 earned a “C,” and two earned a “D.” There were zero hospitals with a “F” grade.

Key highlights for the state:
• Of the 88 hospitals graded, 77 percent earned either an “A” or “B” grade.
• Nationally, Michigan ranked in the top ten for highest level of patient safety.
• Michigan Medicine in Ann Arbor continues their streak for straight “A’s” since 2012 – one of only 23 hospitals in the country to do so.

“Preventable medical errors are costly to patients and the Hospital Safety Grade is a great tool to understand which hospitals are dedicated to keeping patients safe,” said Bret Jackson, EAM President. “On behalf of the EAM and our members, we commend the ‘A’ hospitals for their efforts in keeping Michigan safe, especially during these difficult times.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

“The Leapfrog Group thanks the health care workers in Michigan and nationwide who work so hard for their communities. It’s important we recognize excellence, especially in times like these. But it’s also important to know when hospitals fall short because lives are at stake,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We see every day how hospitals can and will improve their safety when patients make clear it’s important to them.”

For more information about the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, as well as individual grades and state rankings, please visit hospitalsafetygrade.org.