The Leapfrog Group assigns hospitals letter grades based on safety outcomes. The grades are an easy way for patients to choose one hospital over another and can be directly tied to reimbursement through Leapfrog’s Value-Based Purchasing Program.

Hospital leaders know that patient safety is both a moral imperative and a public measure of trust. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade—reported twice a year—has become one of the most visible indicators of how well hospitals protect patients from preventable harm.

Workplace violence has long been prevalent in healthcare, but the last several years have shown an alarming spike, with incidents doubling between 2018 and 2022. Moreover, this surge doesn’t account for incidents that go unreported, which is likely a significant number.  

People associate cleanliness with quality and safety, now even more than before the pandemic. A clean environment builds trust and shows excellence, which affects patients’ overall perception of medical care. A clean facility is associated with higher opinions of staff responsiveness and nurse attentiveness.