PHILADELPHIA, PA— (December 21, 2020)— Delaware hospitals have achieved a tremendous milestone with 100% participation in the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey, a national employer-led initiative driving healthcare quality and safety improvement through data transparency. All of Delaware’s hospitals – Alfred I. duPont Hospital, Bayhealth (Kent and Sussex campuses), Beebe Healthcare, ChristianaCare (Newark and Wilmington campuses), Nanticoke Memorial Hospital, and Saint Francis Healthcare – now participate in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, which demonstrates a statewide commitment to transparency in providing patients with safe, quality care.

Leapfrog also publishes a Hospital Safety Grade twice a year, using data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS), the American Hospital Association, and the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. Delaware moved from having no “A” Safety Grade hospitals in spring 2019 to four “A” hospitals in fall 2020, demonstrating dramatic improvement.

The Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) serves as Leapfrog Regional Leader for Delaware and southeastern Pennsylvania, coordinating efforts to encourage hospital participation in the voluntary reporting initiative. Over 2,500 hospitals nationwide participate in the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey.

Over the last two years the State of Delaware Statewide Benefits Office (and on behalf of the Delaware State Employee Benefits Committee (SEBC)), a GPBCH employer member, reached out to the Delaware hospitals previously not participating in the Leapfrog Survey and encouraged them to do so. “We appreciate that all Delaware hospitals are now disclosing their quality and safety measures in the Leapfrog Survey. As the largest public employer in Delaware, this enables us to have critical information to make more informed purchasing decisions and to share this information with our employees and retirees . We also commend Delaware hospitals for the improvements seen in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades and their continued commitment to improving health care quality and safety in Delaware,” stated Faith Rentz, Director, Statewide Benefits and Insurance Coverage.

Neil Goldfarb, GPBCH President and CEO, said, “We are pleased that Delaware hospitals have demonstrated leadership in making their performance data publicly available. Studies have shown that hospitals that publicly report their data also are more likely to improve on the reported measures.”

“It has certainly been an interesting and exciting learning curve over the last 18 months, as we developed an understanding of the goals and value of the Leapfrog measures in participating in the annual survey,” stated Gary Siegelman, MD, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Bayhealth Medical Center. “This has resulted in our Sussex Campus being recognized as a Leapfrog Top Teaching Hospital in 2020, and is a testament to the expertise and dedication of our leaders, students and staff in providing exceptional care for our patients.”

About the Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health
The Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health (GPBCH) seeks to increase the value of health benefit spending for its employer members by improving workforce and community health, advancing healthcare quality and safety, and reducing health care costs. The Coalition represents employers in southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware in working with health plans, health care providers, benefits consultants, suppliers and other system stakeholders to address population health priorities and to ensure that when health care is needed it is accessible, affordable, high-quality, and safe. For more information, visit https://www.gpbch.org/.

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 forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections. To learn more, visit https://www.leapfroggroup.org/ and https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.

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Media Contact
Jill Hutt
Vice President of Member Services
Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health
123 South Broad Street, Suite 1235
Philadelphia, PA 19109
jhutt@gpbch.org
302-598-9083

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