The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization committed to advancing patient safety, publicized its Spring 2025 Hospital Safety Grades on May 1, 2025. The Leaping Group awarded over 3,000 U.S. hospitals, setting ratings from ‘A’ to ‘F’, based on their proficiency in avoiding medical errors, mishaps, injuries, and infections. These preventable inflictions harm approximately one in four inpatients and are responsible for up to 250,000 fatalities per year.
The inaugural eulogy singled out 346 ‘Straight-A’ hospitals that have maintained an ‘A’ grade for at least two years or five consecutive rounds, accounting for 12% of qualifying facilities. Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, emphasized the significance of continuous advancements in patient safety, notwithstanding the achievement of an ‘A’ grade.
Five hospitals in Southern Maryland underwent this rating. MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital in Leonardtown and the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center in La Plata, both achieved ‘A’ grades. The latter has continuously secured ‘A’ grades since Fall 2020. Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center and CalvertHealth Medical Center in Prince Frederick both received a ‘B’, whilst the MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center in Clinton received a ‘C’.
The grades provide a comprehensive overview of over 30 performance measures, encompassing infection rates, surgical errors, and staff response times. MedStar St. Mary’s And UM CRMC showcased exceptional preventive measures against infections, such as MRSA and C. diff, and surgical complications, respectively.
On a nationwide level, 11 hospitals, including Inova Loudoun Hospital in Virginia and Mayo Clinic-Phoenix in Arizona, have upheld ‘A’ grades throughout all 27 grading rounds since 2012. Meanwhile, Maryland ranked 30th nationally, with 26.8% of its 41 scored hospitals achieving an ‘A’. Despite these encouraging nationwide trends, Binder emphasized the ongoing need for potential patients to consult Safety Grades when making healthcare decisions.
Source: https://southernmarylandchronicle.com/2025/05/01/southern-md-hospitals-earn-mixed-safety-scores/