Top Safety Grades Awarded to 93 California Hospitals by The Leapfrog Group

The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit watchdog organization, recently released its spring 2024 Hospital Safety Grades, revealing that 93 hospitals in California received top safety grades. These grades, ranging from “A” to “F,” are based on how well hospitals prevent medical errors, accidents, and infections.

Among the hospitals in California that received the top letter grade of “A” are Mills-Peninsula Medical Center in Burlingame, Mercy General Hospital in Sacramento, and Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Roseville, among many others. Overall, California had 76 hospitals that earned “B” grades, 89 hospitals that earned “C” grades, 23 hospitals that earned “D” grades, and 3 hospitals that earned “F” grades.

The Leapfrog Group also ranked the 10 states with the highest rate of “A” hospitals, with Utah topping the list. Additionally, the watchdog organization ranked the top 25 metropolitan statistical reporting areas according to the number of “A” hospitals, with Allentown, Pennsylvania; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and New Orleans, Louisiana, taking the top three spots.

While hospitals nationwide have shown improvements in reducing hospital-acquired infections and improving patient experiences since the fall of 2023, patient safety remains a critical issue in healthcare. Hospital-acquired infections, which can be deadly, have seen a decrease in recent years, but patient experiences have worsened since the pandemic.

The Leapfrog Group’s president and CEO, Leah Binder, emphasized the importance of hospitals focusing on safety and delivering better care to protect patients from harm. Despite the positive trends in preventable infections and patient experiences, there is still work to be done to ensure the safety and well-being of patients in healthcare settings.