Employers obsess with reducing the 1-in-800 chance that an employee gets a heart attack…while usually ignoring the 1-in-25 chance that they leave the hospital with an infection.  As a further irony, employers can actually do something about the odds of the latter…but overlook the opportunity. As an even further irony, some of what gets done for “wellness” ends up putting employees in harm’s way in these very same hospitals–more stents, more emergency room visits if hypertension is “discovered” etc.

The Leapfrog Safety Scores are out now.  We’d encourage everyone to take a looksee and ask two questions:

(1) Are the hospitals my employees are most likely to use on the “C” or “F” lists?

(2) Are my state’s hospitals safe?  Don’t just assume that because you live in a “good” state, that hospitals are safe.

Finally, see how much your company is paying for unsafe hospitals by using Leapfrog’s GE-Intel validated Hidden Surcharge Calculator.  You might think you are getting a “deal” on a hospital, but poor quality will overwhelm any cost savings.

We are often asked what employers should focus on if, as most experts now agree, wellness loses money and damages morale. Here’s your answer: keeping your employees safe.

Or in the immortal words of the great philosopher Peter Falk in The In-Laws: “The CIA has a terrific benefits plan.  Staying alive.  That’s the key to the CIA benefits plan.”