Evaluating the Associations Between Leapfrog Scores and Patient Safety Culture

Background: Patient safety is evaluated using both internal assessments of safety culture and external hospital rating systems; however, the extent to which these measures capture related dimensions of patient safety remains uncertain. Methods: This study examined the association between hospital patient safety culture ratings and hospital safety grades. Using 2024 hospital-level data, patient safety culture was measured using the overall safety rating from the AHRQ Hospital Survey on patient safety culture and hospital safety grades derived from Leapfrog Safety Grades. Results: No significant association was observed between patient safety culture ratings and the likelihood of receiving higher Leapfrog Grades. Hospital bed size, however, was significantly associated with Leapfrog Grades, with larger hospitals demonstrating lower odds of receiving higher grades. Conclusions: These findings indicate that further research is needed to assess congruence between internal perceptions of patient safety culture and external hospital safety ratings. The results underscore potential measurement differences between federal survey-based assessments and private nonprofit grading methodologies and suggest caution in assuming equivalence across patient safety metrics. Further research is warranted to clarify how these tools align and to determine their respective roles in evaluating hospital patient safety.