"Leapfrog" your way to safe hospital care
Every day, thousands of hospitalized patients receive hundreds of different procedures. So it's no surprise that medical mistakes happen every hour in America's hospitals (Institute of Medicine, 1999).

The good news is that hospitals can take steps to prevent mistakes and protect patients from injury, thanks to The Leapfrog Group. Even better, consumers have a way to find out how safe their hospitals are.

The Leapfrog Group is a non-profit group of more than 170 organizations that provide health care benefits to millions of Americans. The group works with 50 leading medical experts to identify solutions that will improve hospital quality and safety. Its goals are to:

• Reduce preventable medical mistakes
• Reward doctors and hospitals for quality, safety, and efficiency
• Provide information to help consumers make informed health care decisions

The group encourages hospitals to adopt safety measures and release safety statistics to consumers. To see the group's standards and findings, visit www.leapfroggroup.org.

Why Humana joined the group
Humana joined Leapfrog so our members can get facts to help them make more informed health care choices. We want all Humana members, including our associates, to avoid being subject to preventable medical mistakes.

You can compare Leapfrog data quickly and easily by using the "Compare Hospitals" tool on MyHumana (your personal, password-protected home page on www.humana.com).

Hospital quality and safety
The Leapfrog Group has four quality and safety practices or "leaps" to protect your health. Scientific evidence shows that the leaps, listed below, reduce deaths and injury.

Choose a hospital...

1. that requires its staff to use computers to order medications, tests and procedures.
2. with lots of experience and the best results for specific procedures.
3. with an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) staffed by "intensivists" — doctors and other caregivers with special training in critical care.
4. with a high Leapfrog Quality Index, based on as many as 27 practices the hospital has put into place to reduce medical errors.

What if my hospital isn't listed?
The Leapfrog Group's hospital survey is voluntary. If your hospital isn't listed, contact the hospital and ask for its statistics so you can make an informed decision.

Bottom line:
Use the information available to you to compare hospitals so you can choose the safest hospitals for your care.

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