Patient Safety Continues to Improve Across America

If you had to describe a hospital’s mission, philosophy and guiding light with a single word, safety would sit at the top of the list.

Providing a safe patient experience is at the heart of everything hospitals do. It is what they strive for while caring for every patient, every day.

And the good news is patient safety throughout hospitals and health systems across the nation continues to improve.

A new report released this week by the AHA and Vizient^® examined key safety and quality metrics from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2025. The analysis showed that despite hospitals caring for a sicker patient population, their focus on safety has led to improved patient outcomes and reduced infections.

Among other key findings, the report found: 

• Hospitals improved patient outcomes. Hospitalized patients in Q2 2025 were nearly 30% more likely to survive than expected given the severity of their illnesses compared to Q4 2019.
• Hospitals saved more lives. Based on Vizient’s analysis and national hospitalization data, the AHA projects that hospitals’ efforts to improve safety led to more than 300,000 Americans hospitalized from April 2024 through March 2025 surviving episodes of care they wouldn’t have in 2019.
• Hospitals cared for more patients with greater complexity. Hospitals cared for 4% more patients in Q2 2025 than in Q4 2019. These patients also had more complex and severe conditions.
• Hospitals reduced infections: In Q2 2025, rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections were 24% lower than Q4 2019. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections decreased 25% during that period.
• Hospitals significantly increased preventive cancer screenings: Key screenings for breast and colorectal cancer increased 95% from Q4 2019 to Q2 2025.

Behind each of these statistics are real patients who are getting a safer and better care experience. This is happening because of hospitals’ and health systems’ relentless efforts to advance safety and quality for the patients and communities they serve.

Hospital teams continue to innovate and develop programs and strategies that improve patient care and outcomes. The AHA through its Patient Safety 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. You can see examples on our webpage of innovative programs and strategies from hospitals across the country that are making care safer and better for patients.

While hospitals and health systems continue to make progress advancing quality and safety, we know that the journey is far from over. Hospitals and health systems remain committed to providing the safest, highest-quality care for every patient in every community across America.