How The Leapfrog Group powers its national hospital and ASC surveys with CiviCRM, Drupal, and LimeSurvey

The Leapfrog Group (LFG) is a national nonprofit watchdog organization dedicated to improving the quality and safety of American health care. Since 2000, Leapfrog has collected and publicly reported data on hospital performance, giving patients and employers the information they need to make informed decisions. The organization’s annual Hospital Survey and Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey are the backbone of Leapfrog’s widely used ratings and safety grades.

Challenge

Leapfrog’s surveys were previously hosted on a proprietary third-party platform, which limited flexibility and created concerns about data ownership and integration. The system could not easily adapt to changing survey logic or connect seamlessly with their CRM and internal workflows. For a national survey program that underpins hospital safety ratings, Leapfrog needed a secure, open, and integrated approach that gave the organization full control over its data.

Solution

Leapfrog’s survey platform was rebuilt using Drupal, CiviCRM, and LimeSurvey working together as one integrated system:
Drupal manages authentication, dashboards, permissions, and workflow steps for hospitals and ASCs.

CiviCRM serves as the CRM, storing organizational records, creating or updating them as hospitals log in, and logging survey completion as activities. Staff also rely on CiviMail with tokens to send customized messages that include survey information and hospital details directly from the CRM.

LimeSurvey delivers the survey content with validation, error handling, and version control.

Integrated workflow connects all three systems. A hospital logs in, the CRM updates or creates its record, a secure token generates access to the correct LimeSurvey form, and upon submission, completion is logged back in the CRM.

Results

With this integrated platform, Leapfrog now has full ownership of its survey data, ensuring sensitive health information is securely managed in-house. The system offers flexibility to adjust surveys as measures evolve and allows staff to export data directly from the CRM. All survey activity is logged and auditable, giving administrators confidence in both the integrity and accuracy of the process.
Most importantly, the platform strengthens Leapfrog’s ability to deliver hospital and ASC ratings that patients, families, and employers across the country rely on. By aligning its mission with open source technology, Leapfrog ensures its ratings remain trustworthy, current, and accessible to the public.

Contact: Ralph Johnson, rjohnson@leapfrog-group.org