The Leapfrog Blog

In hospital care, few issues are as critical as ensuring accurate and timely diagnoses. Diagnostic errors can have profound and sometimes devastating consequences for patients and their families. At The Leapfrog Group, we are dedicated to advancing patient safety and improving diagnostic practices across the health care system.

In our increasingly complex health care landscape, where patient safety is paramount, a recent study has shed light on a concerning but often overlooked area: outpatient adverse events.

Conducted by Boston-based researchers, this study delves into the prevalence, severity, and underreporting of adverse events that occur outside of traditional inpatient hospital settings.

Understanding Outpatient Adverse Events

The hospital a patient chooses for care can literally be a life-or-death decision. Over 500 people die every single day in the United States from errors in hospitals—many of which are fully preventable. Hospitals that do better on the Hospital Safety Grade have good systems in place to protect patients from errors, accidents, and infections.