A new data analysis of key safety and quality metrics throughout hospitals and health systems in the U.S. has been released by the AHA and Vizient.
Some of the key findings presented in the analysis are that hospitals “improved patient outcomes,” as patients were nearly 30% more likely to survive compared to Q4 2019. Hospitals also saved more lives, with an estimated 300,000 patients hospitalized from April 2024 through March 2025 “surviving episodes of care they wouldn’t have in 2019.”
Hospitals were also able to care for “more patients with greater complexity” by a measure of around 4% in Q2 2025 compared to Q4 2019. Infections were also reduced throughout hospitals, as rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections were 24% lower than Q4 2019, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections also decreased 25% across the same period. Key screenings for breast and colorectal cancer increased by a staggering 95% over that period, as well.
The AHA launched the Patient Safety Initiative in 2024, a “collaborative, data-driven effort that helps hospitals and health systems work together to reinforce and accelerate patient safety efforts. The initiative provides hospitals with tools and data to advance patient safety, offers a platform for sharing their stories of improvement with peers, and highlights examples of applicable innovation that support, spread and sustain safety improvement.”
