How safe are U.S. hospitals? This question is always top of mind for both the general public and the managers responsible for hospital safety on a daily basis. But in the age of COVID-19, the question and the answer take on an added level of importance.

The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization of employers and other purchasers focused on healthcare safety and quality, recently released the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades. Assigning A, B, C, D, and F grades to general acute-care hospitals in the United States, the rating focuses entirely on the degree to which hospitals protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries, and infections.

Across all states, highlights of findings from the fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade include:

• 34 percent of hospitals were graded As, 24 percent were Bs, 35 percent were Cs, 7 percent were Ds, and less than 1 percent were Fs.
• Five states with the highest percentages of A hospitals are Maine, Idaho, Delaware, Massachusetts and Oregon.
• There were no A hospitals in Alaska, South Dakota or North Dakota.
• Notably, 29 hospitals nationwide have achieved an A in every grading update since the launch of the Safety Grade in spring 2012.

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