Latest news with #LeahBinder
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
The American Diabetes Association and The Leapfrog Group Honor 36 Hospitals for Exceptional Inpatient Care
Awards given to hospitals nationwide for leadership in caring for the 30% of inpatient Americans who are living with diabetes ARLINGTON, Va., June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the American Diabetes Association® (ADA) and The Leapfrog Group named 36 hospitals across 12 states as 2025 Recognized Leaders in Caring for People Living with Diabetes. The award recognizes each hospital's strong commitment to the safety and well-being of hospitalized people living with diabetes—estimated to be 30% of all people who are inpatient nationwide. Now in its second year, the number of award recipients has more than doubled, reflecting a growing nationwide commitment to addressing the unique risks faced by people with diabetes who are hospitalized. 'We congratulate these hospitals for demonstrating their commitment to patient safety and improving the lives of people living with diabetes. Moving evidence-based standards of care into practice opens doors to improved quality outcomes for people living with diabetes,' said Osagie Ebekozien, MD, MPH, the ADA's chief quality officer. Every year, approximately 8 million Americans living with diabetes are hospitalized and face heightened risks of severe complications, including amputations, comas, and even death. Errors in medication administration, inadequate discharge planning, or exposure to hospital-acquired infections can have particularly devastating consequences for this vulnerable population. 'Protecting people from medical errors and infections is a major challenge in American hospitals, and it's even more of challenge when a person is living with diabetes. So much can go wrong so quickly,' said Leah Binder, MA, MGA, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog focused on patient safety. 'We congratulate this year's recognized leaders for their pioneering approach to ensuring vigilance in protecting these people, and we encourage other hospitals to apply to be a Recognized Leader next year.' The first-of-its-kind designation program evaluates hospitals based on their care for people with diabetes during admission, stay, and discharge. The program operationalizes the ADA's globally recognized guidelines for the treatment of people with diabetes, the Standards of Care in Diabetes—2025, along with Leapfrog's standards for excellence in hospital safety and quality. Recognized hospitals provide safe, high-quality care for people living with diabetes, by implementing blood glucose (blood sugar) testing and hypoglycemia protocols, specialized preparation for inpatient surgery, meals and insulin regimen planning, and robust discharge planning for high-risk people with diabetes. Hospitals are assessed both in the implementation of these processes and structures, and on how well they execute on the standard of care delivered to a random sample of individuals. Hospitals earning the Recognized Leader in Caring for People Living with Diabetes designation include: California: Eden Medical Center Eisenhower Medical Center Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus Mills-Peninsula Medical Center UCI Health Colorado: Denver Health Medical Center Florida: AdventHealth Waterman Orlando Health South Lake Hospital Louisiana: St. Tammany Health System New Jersey: Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center Shore Medical Center New York: Glen Cove Hospital Plainview Hospital Syosset Hospital North Carolina: Novant Health Matthews Medical Center Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center Novant Health Kernersville Medical Center Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center Ohio: The Christ Hospital Pennsylvania: Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital Geisinger Community Medical Center Geisinger Jersey Shore Hospital Geisinger Lewistown Hospital Geisinger Medical Center Geisinger Medical Center Muncy Geisinger Shamokin Area Community Hospital Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center Thomas Jefferson University Hospital Tennessee: Maury Regional Hospital Texas: Texas Health Huguley Hospital Titus Regional Medical Center Washington: EvergreenHealth The applications for 2026 recognition opens July 1 and submissions are due January 31, 2026. About the American Diabetes Association The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation's leading voluntary health organization fighting to end diabetes and helping people thrive. This year, the ADA celebrates 85 years of driving discovery and research to prevent, manage, treat, and ultimately cure —and we're not stopping. There are 136 million Americans living with diabetes or prediabetes. Through advocacy, program development, and education, we're fighting for them all. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at or call 1-800-DIABETES (800-342-2383). Join us in the fight on Facebook ( American Diabetes Association ), Spanish Facebook ( Asociación Americana de la Diabetes ), LinkedIn ( American Diabetes Association ), and Instagram ( @AmDiabetesAssn ). To learn more about how we are advocating for everyone affected by diabetes, visit us on X ( @AmDiabetesAssn ). 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 for patient safety. Leapfrog publishes letter grades for hospitals based on how safe they are for patients with the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. Leapfrog also sets standards for safety and quality and reports to the public through the Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey. Follow us on Twitter ( @TheLeapfrogGroup ), Facebook ( The Leapfrog Group ), LinkedIn ( The Leapfrog Group )and Instagram ( @TheLeapfrogGroup ) and sign up for our newsletter. Contact: American Diabetes Association, Mimi Carmody, [email protected] Leapfrog Group, CURA Strategies, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE American Diabetes Association
Medscape
28-05-2025
- Business
- Medscape
Five Florida Hospitals Sue Safety Ratings System
Five Tenet Healthcare hospitals are suing a leading provider of hospital safety ratings in federal court, alleging that it 'pressures hospitals to participate and pay or else suffer devastating and misleading public 'safety' grades.' The South Florida hospitals all got 'D' or 'F' grades in the fall 2024 ratings from Leapfrog Group's Hospital Safety Grade website after they declined to answer the company's surveys. The hospitals also received poor overall and patient-satisfaction ratings from Medicare. Leah Binder, Leapfrog's president and CEO, told Medscape Medical News that the nonprofit organization stands by its ratings. 'The Tenet Healthcare system has disgraceful performance on patient safety,' she said, 'and that is what they should be spending their money to address.' The legal battle pits Tenet Healthcare, which made a net $20.7 billion in revenue last year, against a nonprofit with a recent annual revenue of just $7.6 million but significant influence over hospital reputations. Methodology Under Fire At issue: Should hospitals be punished when they decline to provide data for Leapfrog's safety ratings? Until recently, Leapfrog gave average scores on several measures to hospitals that refused to respond to surveys. The organization changed course as of the fall 2024 ratings and now automatically gives the lowest rating possible to nonparticipating hospitals on four of 30 measures — Computerized Physician Order Entry, Bar Code Medication Administration, Intensive Care Unit Physician Staffing, and Hand Hygiene Score. As a result, nonparticipating hospitals get worse safety ratings because their scores on these measures count toward their overall letter grades. Among the five hospitals that are suing, Good Samaritan (West Palm Beach), Delray (Delray Beach), and Palm Beach Gardens got 'F' grades. West Boca (Boca Raton) and St. Mary's (West Palm Beach) got 'D' grades. The lawsuit, filed on April 30, said the hospital stopped responding to Leapfrog's 'excessive' data requests in 2021. The hospitals contended Leapfrog 'relies on invented data for some hospitals but not others.' The lowest-possible rating (15/100) for handwashing at the Delray hospital, for example, is 'deceptively communicating to consumers that Delray Medical Center doctors and nurses don't adequately wash their hands, among other false statements — with no data whatsoever to support that conclusion.' Binder defended the change in methodology. 'We continuously received complaints from hundreds of hospitals that do report to the survey,' she said. An expert panel recommended a move toward standardized low scores for nonparticipating hospitals, she said, and Leapfrog changed its methodology. Ratings System Says It's Being Transparent Binder said Leapfrog, founded 25 years ago by employers and others seeking better hospital safety information, is open about its data and methods. Leapfrog uses patient satisfaction survey data that are used, in part, to determine physician compensation, raises, and bonuses. 'It's pretty easy for us to defend the responsibility with which Leapfrog issues these grades,' Binder said. 'Even if, for some reason, we felt like we wanted to show bias towards some hospital or against another hospital, it would be really hard to do that when we're putting the entire methodology out there.' According to Leapfrog, refusing to participate in the company's surveys isn't a ticket to a poor grade. About 20% of 2829 hospitals rated in the Spring 2025 Hospital Safety Grades report didn't respond to surveys, the company said in response to queries from Medscape Medical News . Among those, six got an 'A,' 20 got a 'B,' 380 got a 'C,' 167 got a 'D,' and 19 got an 'F.' Leapfrog described its methodology regarding the four measures in small print at the bottom of webpages that report individual hospital safety grades. See, for example, the Palm Beach Gardens hospital's ' handwashing' page on the Hospital Safety Grade website. 'I don't think it's that fine of print,' Binder said. 'If you're digging into it, you're going to see that we make it clear.' 'Self-Reported, Biased, and Subject to Manipulation' The lawsuit also claims that data provided by participating hospitals 'is self-reported, biased, and subject to manipulation.' Binder responded that self-reported data goes through an 'intensive verification process,' including on-site verifications at randomly selected hospitals each year. However, a 2019 New England Journal of Medicine Catalyst report noted that 'Leapfrog leadership stated that they had only done a formal audit for approximately five hospitals of about 2600 in the past year, and only 72 hospitals underwent an electronic audit.' The rate-the-raters report graded hospital quality ratings systems and gave a C to the Medicare system and a C-minus to Leapfrog. The US News & World Report grading system received a B, and Healthgrades got a D-minus. In the new lawsuits, the 5 hospitals also claim that Leapfrog 'has used the tens of millions of dollars of revenue it has collected from participating hospitals and other sponsors in its pay-to-play system to pay exorbitant salaries to its owner and executives. Between 2019 and 2023, [Leapfrog] has paid over 3 million dollars in salary and benefits to Leah Binder — its CEO.' 'Hospitals, researchers, and businesses can license Leapfrog data for a fee. This has no influence on ratings…,' Leapfrog said in a statement. The CEO of Tenet Healthcare, the owner of the five hospitals that are suing, made $24.7 million in compensation in 2024, according to Becker's Hospital Review. Hospitals Tout Performance but Ignore Federal Ratings The lawsuit described the five South Florida hospitals as award-winning and 'high-performing' with 'reputations for being high-quality healthcare systems that put patient care first.' However, the lawsuit failed to mention that the hospitals all received low scores from Medicare's hospital comparison tool. On a 5-star scale, Good Samaritan and St. Mary's have 1-star overall and patient-satisfaction ratings. Palm Beach Gardens has 1- and 2-star ratings on the measures, respectively, while West Boca and Delray have 2- and 1-star ratings, respectively. Their scores are 'among the worst in the country,' Binder said. 'They are performing extremely poorly in the eyes of their own patients.' The hospitals declined to speak on the record about the lawsuit or answer questions regarding their poor ratings under Medicare's grading system. In a statement to Medscape Medical News , they said, 'our hospitals are continuously working to improve the patient experience and have been recognized repeatedly for our leadership in quality, innovation, and compassionate care.' Legal Expert: Facts, Not Grades, Are Key How vulnerable is Leapfrog in court? Eric Goldman, JD, MBA, a professor at California's Santa Clara University School of Law, Santa Clara, California, who has studied online rating systems, said this case is different than a filmmaker suing a movie critic over a bad review. 'When it comes to something like hospitals, the consequences [of ratings] are much higher,' he told Medscape Medical News . 'You watch a bad movie, you lose 20 bucks and 2 hours of your time. You go to the wrong hospital, you might be dead.' Goldman suggested the legal issue isn't the grades themselves — which are opinion and therefore protected under the First Amendment — but whether Leapfrog is following its own rules. 'The legal question is whether, by stating a methodology and then failing to follow it, Leapfrog is publishing false information,' he said. 'What's made it false isn't their grade but the fact that the grade is a product of reliance upon inaccurate data or the failure to process that data in accordance with their stated policies.' He elaborated, 'I don't think that if Leapfrog assigns a hospital an 'F' that it would have the basis to sue. It might not be a credible grade, but it's still not actionable. But if they're reporting that the hospitals are not performing on certain criteria, that's the potential fact claim that could be the basis of a lawsuit.' According to Goldman, Leapfrog's strongest defense may be the market itself. 'Leapfrog is absolutely free to assign a grade however it wants. That is its prerogative, and that's constitutionally protected as an opinion,' he said. 'Ultimately, the market decides how credible they find Leapfrog's methodology. If people find it credible, they continue to use it. If they don't, they're not required to.'
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
El Camino Health Earns "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group
Los Gatos and Mountain View Hospitals Recognized for Excellence in Patient Safety MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Both El Camino Health hospitals have once again earned the highest ranking for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, a national, not-for-profit, independent evaluator that measures excellence in patient care. This national distinction marks the sixth consecutive "A" grade for our Los Gatos hospital, and the tenth straight "A" for the Mountain View campus. El Camino Health is the only health system in the South Bay to have two hospitals receive the top safety grade for Spring 2025. "Patient safety is the cornerstone of everything we do at El Camino Health, and we are incredibly proud to see both of our hospitals consistently recognized as leaders in safety," said Dan Woods, chief executive officer at El Camino Health. "This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire staff, who remain committed to delivering safe, high-quality care to our community every single day. It's an honor to be recognized as among the safest hospitals in the nation." This year, El Camino Health is part of a select, new Leapfrog "Straight A" group – defined as hospitals achieving an "A" Grade for five grading rounds or more. El Camino Health now ranks in the top 15 percent of California hospitals to earn this elite recognition and represents 12 percent of all eligible hospitals nationwide. The Leapfrog Group assigns an "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F" grade to all general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them. "It takes an unwavering commitment from staff at all levels to achieve an 'A' Hospital Safety Grade," said Leah Binder, president and CEO, The Leapfrog Group. "This reflects El Camino Health's commitment to putting patients first every minute of every day. Your dedication is an inspiration." The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, injuries and infections that can lead to harm or even death. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. The program began in 2012, and grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring. To see El Camino Health's Spring 2025 full grade details and to find essential patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit About El Camino Health El Camino Health has served the communities of Silicon Valley and the South Bay for more than 60 years, with nationally recognized physicians and nurses at two not-for-profit acute care hospitals in Los Gatos and Mountain View, and 21 care locations across the region, which includes primary care, multi-specialty care, and urgent care. El Camino Health is dedicated to giving patients high-quality care utilizing the most advanced technology and research. As your healthcare partner of choice, we focus on keeping you healthy and getting you back on your feet when you need it, so you can live your best life. Aside from achieving outstanding patient outcomes, the hospitals have earned numerous awards for clinical excellence, including being named one of the World's Best Hospitals 2025 by Newsweek, one of the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report, one of America's 100 Best for Cardiac Care by Healthgrades and becoming the San Francisco Bay Area's first Magnet hospital, earning four consecutive designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence. Key service lines include cancer care, cardiovascular care, maternity care, mental health and addiction services, orthopedics, pulmonology, urology, and women's health. Visit to learn more. Media ContactRoss Coyle, senior external communications specialist, El Camino HealthRoss_Coyle@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE El Camino Health Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
El Camino Health Earns "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group
Los Gatos and Mountain View Hospitals Recognized for Excellence in Patient Safety MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 20, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Both El Camino Health hospitals have once again earned the highest ranking for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, a national, not-for-profit, independent evaluator that measures excellence in patient care. This national distinction marks the sixth consecutive "A" grade for our Los Gatos hospital, and the tenth straight "A" for the Mountain View campus. El Camino Health is the only health system in the South Bay to have two hospitals receive the top safety grade for Spring 2025. "Patient safety is the cornerstone of everything we do at El Camino Health, and we are incredibly proud to see both of our hospitals consistently recognized as leaders in safety," said Dan Woods, chief executive officer at El Camino Health. "This achievement reflects the dedication and hard work of our entire staff, who remain committed to delivering safe, high-quality care to our community every single day. It's an honor to be recognized as among the safest hospitals in the nation." This year, El Camino Health is part of a select, new Leapfrog "Straight A" group – defined as hospitals achieving an "A" Grade for five grading rounds or more. El Camino Health now ranks in the top 15 percent of California hospitals to earn this elite recognition and represents 12 percent of all eligible hospitals nationwide. The Leapfrog Group assigns an "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F" grade to all general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of errors, accidents, injuries and infections as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent them. "It takes an unwavering commitment from staff at all levels to achieve an 'A' Hospital Safety Grade," said Leah Binder, president and CEO, The Leapfrog Group. "This reflects El Camino Health's commitment to putting patients first every minute of every day. Your dedication is an inspiration." The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program focused exclusively on preventable medical errors, injuries and infections that can lead to harm or even death. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. The program began in 2012, and grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring. To see El Camino Health's Spring 2025 full grade details and to find essential patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit About El Camino Health El Camino Health has served the communities of Silicon Valley and the South Bay for more than 60 years, with nationally recognized physicians and nurses at two not-for-profit acute care hospitals in Los Gatos and Mountain View, and 21 care locations across the region, which includes primary care, multi-specialty care, and urgent care. El Camino Health is dedicated to giving patients high-quality care utilizing the most advanced technology and research. As your healthcare partner of choice, we focus on keeping you healthy and getting you back on your feet when you need it, so you can live your best life. Aside from achieving outstanding patient outcomes, the hospitals have earned numerous awards for clinical excellence, including being named one of the World's Best Hospitals 2025 by Newsweek, one of the Best Hospitals for Maternity Care by U.S. News & World Report, one of America's 100 Best for Cardiac Care by Healthgrades and becoming the San Francisco Bay Area's first Magnet hospital, earning four consecutive designations from the American Nurses Credentialing Center for nursing excellence. Key service lines include cancer care, cardiovascular care, maternity care, mental health and addiction services, orthopedics, pulmonology, urology, and women's health. Visit to learn more. Media ContactRoss Coyle, senior external communications specialist, El Camino HealthRoss_Coyle@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE El Camino Health Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Prime Healthcare Hospitals Recognized Among Nation's Safest by The Leapfrog Group
Recognition reflects Prime's continued investment in safety, quality, and compassionate care throughout its expanding network. ONTARIO, Calif., May 06, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Prime Healthcare announced today that 31 of its hospitals across 13 states have earned an "A" Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group for spring 2025, reinforcing Prime's unwavering commitment to high-quality, evidence-based, and patient-centered care. The prestigious national recognition comes on the heels of Prime's recent expansion into the Chicago area through the acquisition of eight hospitals, care facilities, and medical groups from Ascension Illinois. Prime's continued growth is matched by its steadfast focus on delivering exceptional care and advancing clinical outcomes. "Achieving an 'A' Hospital Safety Grade reflects the tremendous dedication and hard work of those committed to patient safety," said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "I extend my heartfelt congratulations to Prime Healthcare, its leadership, clinicians, staff, and volunteers for fostering a culture where patients come first and safety is always a top priority." Among the 31 Prime hospitals receiving an "A" grade, 27 earned consecutive top grades across multiple grading periods, exemplifying a consistent culture of safety and quality. East Liverpool City Hospital (OH) and Lake Huron Medical Center (MI) have achieved straight "A" ratings since 2018, while Providence Medical Center (MO) has maintained its top-tier performance since 2019. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade evaluates over 30 national performance measures related to medical errors, infections, and injuries. Grades are issued twice annually and represent a trusted benchmark of hospital performance. "This recognition reflects the extraordinary efforts of our physicians, nurses, and healthcare teams who put patient safety and clinical quality at the forefront every day," said Sunny Bhatia, MD, President and Chief Medical Officer of Prime Healthcare. "Prime Healthcare was founded by physicians with a mission to transform community hospitals. These 'A' grades demonstrate our dedication to that mission and to the patients and families who rely on us for compassionate, high-quality care." Prime remains one of the nation's most recognized health systems for patient safety, clinical excellence, and quality outcomes. This year alone, Prime hospitals received more than 150 clinical quality awards from Healthgrades—including "America's 100 Best by Specialty," Specialty Excellence, and Five-Star Awards—and have been named among the nation's "100 Top Hospitals" by Premier a total of 72 times. Reflecting its mission to provide compassionate, high-quality, and accessible care, Prime was also recognized by the Lown Institute as a Top 10 Health System for social responsibility, health equity, and clinical outcomes.
