Hospitals’ sustained focus on quality and safety over the past several years is paying off, according to a new report from the American Hospital Association and Vizient.
The analysis found key indicators of patient safety continue to improve, even as hospitals care for sicker, more medically complex patients. The report, published Dec. 4, is based on an analysis of key safety and quality metrics covering the first quarter of 2019 through the second quarter of this year.
The analysis reflects data from 705 general, acute care hospitals that routinely submit clinical information to Vizient’s clinical database.
Four findings from the report:
- Patients hospitalized in the second quarter of 2025 were nearly 30% more likely to survive considering the severity of their illness than in 2019. Overall, the AHA and Vizient estimate 300,000 Americans who were hospitalized between April 2024 and March 2025 survived episodes of care that they would not have in 2019.
- In the second quarter of 2025, hospitals cared for about 4% more patients than they did in the last quarter of 2019. Additionally, case mix index rose by 5%, reflecting an increase in inpatient acuity as more care moves outside the hospital.
- Healthcare-associated infection rates continue to decline, according to the report. Rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections were 24% lower in the second quarter of this year compared to the last quarter of 2019. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections also fell 25%.
- Preventive screenings for breast and colorectal cancer have increased 95% from late 2019 to early 2025.
