The Leapfrog Group’s 2022 Hospital safety grades reflect a decline in patient safety over the course of the pandemic. There are many factors that contribute to the decline in quality of care at individual locations but overall the single biggest motivator has the pandemic. While overall patient safety has improved since these report cards started twenty years ago, the pandemic caused some back slipping.

The Leapfrog Group assigns grades of “A” through “F” and helpfully includes lengthy analysis of their scores. You can look up individual hospitals all over the country and see how they have performed in dozens of areas of patient care and safety.

The grades were published this year alongside a patient experience report. The Leapfrog Group writes that “Just as people seek out customer reviews and ratings before making online purchase, they can benefit from learning about patient perspectives on health care services before they decide where to receive care.” The report details the strains the pandemic has had on healthcare delivery from the patient standpoint, and which areas have been most significantly affected.

We all would like to think that our nearest hospital is optimally equipped to handle whatever emergency we might experience. If we have a choice, we’d choose the safer option every time, right? Those of you in Seattle (or any metropolitan core) have the benefit of access to several hospitals. But the truth is that further out we get, the fewer options we have. The Leapfrog group observes that “This variability is a constant reminder that the public must have access to information on which hospitals are safer so patients can make the best decision for themselves and their loved ones.” And it may help the decision whether to take the longer drive to the better scoring hospital.

You can search for your (or a loved one’s) local hospitals here: HospitalSafetyGrade.org