Report: Gaps remain for hospitals in achieving diagnostic excellence

Although Leapfrog hospitals have implemented recommended practices to improve diagnostic safety, gaps remain. An assessment of 95 Leapfrog hospitals published in the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Journal of Patient Safety found practices with the most room for improvement were CEO commitment to diagnostic excellence, convening a multidisciplinary team on diagnostic safety and quality, conducting diagnosis-focused risk assessments and training clinicians to optimize clinical reasoning in the diagnostic process. The most common implemented practices were ensuring access to medical interpreters, continuous access to radiologists, ensuring staff and patients can report diagnostic errors and concerns, and establishing a formal process to identify and notify patients when diagnostic errors occur. In 2022, the Leapfrog Group detailed 29 evidence-based practices hospitals can adapt to improve diagnostic safety. (AHRQ Journal of Patient Safety article, 9/4/24)