Episode 49 - Carrying the BIG STICK for Hospital Safety

When I mention an organization that walks tall and carries a big stick – you’d best be thinking of The LeapFrog Group. It has become one of the more powerful patient safety organizations in grading hospitals, through its mission of providing public transparency. Ultimately, it seeks to improve safety, quality, and affordability of U.S. health care. Estimates today finger medical errors as causing upwards of 400,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. Additionally, employers and individual coverage purchasers are the unwitting recipients of long-term purposeful cost hyperinflation from drug companies, healthcare providers, and health payers. Founded in 2000, the LeapFrog Group came about from large employers and care coverage purchasers who recognized the poor returns on their healthcare spend. Never has that need been more true than today - as hyperinflated costs can no longer be justified will business and individual consumers supporting the system and its pricing. In 2017, nearly 1,800 hospitals have already completed LeapFrog's quality, safety, and resource survey. It is increasingly being considered a standard for evaluating hospital performance - specific to quality, safe, and resource use. Leapfrog already gives its own safety ratings on all U.S. hospitals; and this data is being increasingly used by individual and business healthcare consumers - especially as we see free-market forces entering into the system.   Recently, Dr. Steve Ambrose - the Founder & Host of the RED HOT HEALTHCARE Podcast, had an opportunity to engage in a riveting back-and-forth audio interview with Leah Binder, the outspoken CEO and President of The LeapFrog Group. She was named on Becker’s list of the 50 most powerful people in healthcare, and consistently cited by Modern Healthcare among the 100 most influential people and top 25 women in healthcare. In the complete audio listen, Dr. Steve Ambrose and Leah Binder dive deep into topics including: Her history of working on New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's team How the LeapFrog Group grew its influence with thousands of hospitals The REAL TRUTH on who pays the most healthcare costs What facets make up LeapFrog's grades & reported data The importance of PUBLIC transparency and accountability for all hospitals Extending transparency to payers and pharma companies (Dr. Steve thoughts)