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Supporting Hospital Safety Reporting with a Secure, Open Source Platform

Custom Features
A desktop computer showing The Leapfrog Group’s hospital safety survey dashboard with section progress, error counts, and submission buttons.

Overview

The Leapfrog Group is a nonprofit watchdog that evaluates hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) based on safety, quality, and transparency. Their mission is to collect data and assign safety grades to help patients make informed decisions about where they receive care.

Patients, families, and healthcare providers rely on this data when making decisions about care. At the center of this effort is Leapfrog’s annual survey, which hospital and ASC staff complete to report key performance and safety metrics that directly influence public ratings and accountability.

The Challenge

Leapfrog previously relied on a third-party survey platform to manage its hospital surveys. While functional, the system presented two major issues: limited data ownership and restricted flexibility. With sensitive health data stored externally, Leapfrog had minimal control over access, security, and long-term use of its own data.

At the same time, the platform could not support the organization’s evolving survey logic and administrative needs. These limitations made it harder to adapt the survey process as healthcare standards changed and new reporting requirements emerged. Leapfrog needed a system that was fully owned, internally managed, and capable of evolving alongside its mission, without being constrained by third-party tools.

The Solution

Leapfrog implemented a fully open source solution, integrating Drupal, CiviCRM, and LimeSurvey into a unified platform. Built on open source tools, this system gives Leapfrog complete control over its data and the flexibility to design workflows that reflect how hospitals and ASCs actually complete and manage surveys, while allowing the platform to evolve as requirements change.

Platform Roles and Integration

  • Drupal 7: Acts as the workflow engine. It manages authentication, permissions, survey dashboards, section tracking, affirmations, and submission steps.
  • CiviCRM: Stores contact records. As hospitals complete Drupal webforms, CiviCRM logs those details and tracks activity through the survey.
  • LimeSurvey: Hosts the survey content. It supports validation, review processes, error messages, and version control.

Workflow in Action

  1. A hospital logs into Leapfrog’s site through Drupal.
  2. They fill out a Drupal webform, creating or updating their CiviCRM contact.
  3. The system grants access to the correct LimeSurvey.
  4. Once submitted, the survey data is stored as an activity in CiviCRM.

Data moves between systems through secure cURL-based APIs and custom plugins. This keeps the experience smooth for users while maintaining consistent data flow and traceability behind the scenes.

Technical Highlights

  • Custom Drupal module: Manages secure communication between Drupal and LimeSurvey.
  • Session bridging: LimeSurvey uses session data from Drupal to personalize access.
  • Custom LimeSurvey plugins: Handle validation, errors, affirmations, and review steps.
  • Versioning and APIs: LimeSurvey supports AJAX submissions, version control, and reusable API endpoints.

Results

Leapfrog’s open source platform delivers clear, practical improvements:

  • Full data ownership: All data lives securely on Leapfrog’s servers.
  • Flexibility: The system can be updated anytime to match new needs.
  • Central tracking: All user actions are logged.
  • Better reporting: Staff can generate exports directly, cutting down on manual work.

Conclusion

Leapfrog now runs a secure, flexible, and fully owned survey platform built on Drupal, CiviCRM, and LimeSurvey. By moving away from third-party tools, they gained full control over their technology and data, along with the ability to adapt as healthcare standards and reporting needs evolve. Most importantly, this system supports Leapfrog’s core mission: providing reliable safety information that patients and healthcare organizations can trust.

If you’re planning a complex integration or looking to improve how your organization manages data and workflows, contact Skvare to see how we can help.