Leapfrog Group names top hospitals for 2011

WASHINGTON – Sixty-five hospitals have earned The Leapfrog Group's annual "Top Hospital" designation, equaling 2010's record-setting total. The designation, which Leapfrog bills as the most competitive national hospital quality award in the country, recognizes quality of care.

Quality measures, which hinge on the use of healthcare information technology, include preventing medical errors, reducing mortality for high-risk procedures like heart bypass surgery, and reducing hospital readmissions for patients being treated for conditions like pneumonia and heart attack.
[See also: Research aims to boost follow-up care with IT]

Officials tout the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, now in its 11th year, as the toughest standard-bearer, providing the most complete picture of a hospital's quality and safety.

The survey focuses on three critical areas of hospital care:

how patients fare,
resources used to care for patients, and
management practices that promote safety and quality.


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