New AHA, Vizient report shows better outcomes for hospitalized surgical patients

Patients in the hospital for surgeries had better outcomes in 2024 than they did in 2019, according to a new report released today by the AHA and Vizient. 

The significant improvement aligned not only with better performance on patient safety metrics — such as reductions in infections and falls — but also with marked declines in three major surgical patient safety indicators: severe bleeding, sepsis and respiratory failure.

“The safety and quality improvements in surgical outcomes underscore the resilience and unwavering commitment of hospitals and health systems — and the millions of hospital team members across the country — to delivering better care to the patients and communities they serve,” said AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack. “While hospitals are proud of these efforts, we know there is always more work to do to deliver the highest quality care possible.”

The new findings build on a report AHA released in collaboration with Vizient last year showing that hospitals and health systems performed better on key patient safety and quality measures in the first quarter of 2024 than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, hospitals’ efforts to improve safety led to 200,000 Americans hospitalized between April 2023 and March 2024 surviving episodes of care they wouldn’t have in 2019.