Buying Right: Leapfrog’s Purchasing Principles

 Leapfrog’s member companies agree to adhere to the following four purchasing principles in buying health care for their enrollees:

  1. Educating and informing enrollees about the safety, quality and affordability of health care and the importance of comparing the care health care providers give. Initial emphasis on the Leapfrog safety and quality practices.
  2. Recognizing and rewarding health care providers for major advances in the safety, quality and affordability of their care.
  3. Holding health plans accountable for implementing the Leapfrog purchasing principles.
  4. Building the support of benefits consultants and brokers to use and advocate for the Leapfrog purchasing principles with all of their clients.

To help advance the purchasing principles, the Leapfrog Hospital Rewards Program allows implementers to reward hospitals that demonstrate excellence and/or sustained quality and efficiency improvement. It is an off-the-shelf pay for performance program that drives improvements in hospital quality and efficiency in five clinical areas while demonstrating dollar savings as performance improves. For more information, visit http://www.leapfroggroup.org/for_hospitals/fh-incentives_and_rewards/hosp_rewards_prog.