AHA report finds hospitals continue to improve performance on key patient safety measures, outcomes 

The AHA released a report Dec. 4 that found patient safety in hospitals and health systems across the nation continues to improve. The report, which uses data analyzed by Vizient, examined key safety and quality metrics from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2025. It found that despite caring for a sicker patient population, hospitals’ focus on safety led to improved patient outcomes and reduced infections. 

“Keeping patients safe is the top priority of America’s hospitals and health systems,” said AHA Chief Physician Executive and Senior Vice President Chris DeRienzo, M.D. “The latest findings show that hospital teams continue to innovate and develop programs and strategies that are improving care and outcomes for the patients and communities they serve.” 

The report also found: 

•    Hospitalized patients in the second quarter of 2025 were on average nearly 30% more likely to survive than expected given the severity of their illnesses compared to the fourth quarter of 2019. 
•    Hospitals’ efforts to improve safety led to more than 300,000 Americans hospitalized from April 2024 through March 2025 surviving episodes of care they would not have in 2019. 
•    Hospitals cared for more patients in the second quarter of 2025 compared to the fourth quarter of 2019, with increases in volume by 4% and case mix index by 5% during this period. Patients in 2025 also had more complex and severe conditions. 
•    Hospitals’ central line-associated bloodstream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections in the second quarter of 2025 were at lower rates than the fourth quarter of 2019. 
•    Key screenings for breast and colorectal cancer increased 95% from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2025. 

The AHA’s Patient Safety Initiative provides tools and data to help hospitals advance patient safety and serves as a platform to share stories of improvement with peers. It also highlights examples of applicable innovation that support, spread and sustain safety improvement.