WASHINGTON, D.C. – April 1, 2026 – The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety, today announced a major expansion of its Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Public Reporting Program. This redesigned initiative will rate the safety of nearly 4,000 ASCs in the United States beginning in late July 2026.
“Ambulatory surgery centers play an increasingly important role in our nation’s health care system, and patients deserve meaningful information about the safety and quality of the care they provide,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This expansion will be a game changer. For the first time, patients and employers will be able to compare among thousands of ASCs. ASCs will also have a powerful opportunity to showcase their achievements for their communities.”
Originally launched in 2019, the ASC Public Reporting Program has evolved to meet the growing need for transparency in outpatient care. The expanded program introduces a more comprehensive approach to measuring and reporting ASC performance.
The expanded ASC Public Reporting Program will include three elements:
- CMS Public Reporting
- Leapfrog will score and report 13 quality and safety performance measures from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for all applicable ASCs. These include unplanned hospital visits after procedures, as well as critical patient safety and quality concerns, such as falls and wrong-site, side, and procedure errors.
- Accreditation Standards
- Leapfrog will report achievement on five additional measures verified through accreditation by The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care or The Joint Commission. These include important processes such as documenting medications, using a safe surgery checklist, and ensuring staff have the right certifications.
- ASC Survey 2.0
- Leapfrog will score and publicly report ASC performance on quality and safety measures from the revised and shortened Leapfrog ASC Survey 2.0. Measures include how the facility approaches patient rights and ethics, including taking responsibility for never events and health equity, as well as crucial patient safety practices like hand hygiene. The Survey opens today, April 1, with the submission deadline of June 30. The late submission deadline is November 30.
“Leapfrog’s ratings help us improve and communicate our commitment to our patients and communities we serve,” said Nicole Vit, MPH, RN, Chief Clinical Officer, Constitution Surgery Alliance and Leapfrog ASC Advisory Committee Member. “We are thrilled to see this major expansion of Leapfrog’s national ASC reporting, which will benefit not only our facilities, but the ASC industry as a whole. ASCs need more avenues to demonstrate and recognize the quality and efficiency of care they deliver. A trusted, independent forum like Leapfrog gives ASCs an important way to demonstrate that value to the public we serve and provides recognition to ASCs who are willing to be transparent on patient outcomes and quality of care.”
In July, Leapfrog will publicly report patient safety and quality data on thousands more ASCs on its website, allowing patients, purchasers and employers to search by procedure and compare ASCs side-by-side on evidence-based safety and quality measures. Users can also see which centers have earned Leapfrog’s prestigious Top ASC Award and identify which have voluntarily reported data.
Leapfrog invited public comments on these changes. A summary of the updates and responses to comments is available on its website.
Leapfrog is also engaging with the ASC community directly to share these updates. Its team will be attending the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (ASCA) Conference & Expo in Washington, D.C., May 13-16. Attendees are invited to visit Leapfrog’s booth to learn more about the new ASC Public Reporting Program, what the changes mean for ASCs and how facilities can participate.
ASCs new to Leapfrog can also reach out to the Leapfrog Help Desk to set up an orientation to get started. For more information, visit LeapfrogGroup.org.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is an independent national nonprofit organization known for transparency, driving a movement for giant leaps in patient safety. Leapfrog sets standards for safety and quality and reports to the public through the annual Leapfrog Hospital Survey and Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey as well as the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade. It is free to participate in the voluntary Surveys and results are publicly reported on Leapfrog’s website. Follow us on Twitter (@TheLeapfrogGroup), Facebook (The Leapfrog Group), LinkedIn (The Leapfrog Group) and Instagram (@TheLeapfrogGroup) and sign up for our newsletter.