Eleven hospitals have received the 2013 Hospital Website Transparency Award, which is given by URAC and The Leapfrog Group to recognize organizations that embrace quality measures.

This is the second year that the two organizations have partnered to identify outstanding hospital websites that promote transparency of safety and quality measures in a manner that is useful and user-friendly for consumers.

Award criteria was developed in accordance with the National Quality Forum’s guidelines for consumer-focused, Internet-based public reporting of health performance data as well as the Model Public Report Elements prepared for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

[See also: Leapfrog, URAC seek better websites.]

"The Hospital Website Transparency Awards are a unique way for us to honor and showcase these hospitals that show initiative in protecting consumers through transparency and quality reporting," said URAC President and CEO Kylanne Green, in a press statement.

"We are celebrating these hospitals who exhibit innovations and best practices, and it is encouraging to see so many hospitals that are committed to informing, protecting, and serving the community," she added.

All hospitals that completed a 2013 Leapfrog Hospital Survey and publicly report quality and/or safety metrics were eligible.

Of the hospitals that received the 2013 award, three received it with distinction for going "above and beyond" in their work to promote hospital website transparency, officials say.

The winners are:

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Inova (Alexandria, Fair Oaks, Fairfax, Loudoun, Mount Vernon)
• Harlem Hospital Center
• Mercy Regional Medical Center
• Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• St. Mary Corwin Medical Center
• Texas Children’s Hospital
• WakeMed Health & Hospitals
• Baptist Health South Florida (with distinction)
• JFK Medical Center (with distinction)
• Kaiser Permanente (with distinction)

[See also: URAC, Leapfrog put the spotlight on hospital transparency.]

"For the past two years, the Hospital Website Transparency Awards have recognized hospitals that have adapted and succeeded in the new era of health care consumerism," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "They have designed websites that are informative, engaging and user-friendly for the communities they serve. We applaud their commitment to innovation and healthcare transparency."