Healthgrades has released its 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Awards, honoring hospitals that most effectively prevent serious safety events during inpatient stays. This year’s winners represent the top 10% of U.S. hospitals for patient safety: 438 hospitals across 40 states.
Healthgrades’ analysis estimates that more than 100,000 patient safety events between 2022 and 2024 could have been avoided if all hospitals had matched the performance of 2026 award recipients. Patients treated at these hospitals were substantially less likely to experience the four most common patient safety indicators (PSIs), which together account for roughly 78% of all safety events:
– In-hospital falls resulting in fractures: 52.4% less likely
– Collapsed lungs related to procedures or chest surgery (pneumothorax): 57.5% less likely
– Hospital-acquired catheter-related bloodstream infections: 67.8% less likely
– Pressure ulcers (bed sores) developed during a hospital stay: 71.9% less likely
“The data behind this year’s Patient Safety Excellence Award highlights how measurable improvements in safety can prevent thousands of complications,” said Alana Biggers, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. “Hospitals that prioritize evidence-based safety practices not only achieve better clinical outcomes, but also cultivate a culture where patients come first. These insights give individuals and families the information they need to make confident and better informed healthcare decisions.”
To identify award recipients, Healthgrades analyzed inpatient MedPAR data and evaluated hospitals across 13 patient safety indicators that track serious complications occurring during care—such as respiratory failure after surgery, surgical site infections, and excessive bleeding after procedures. Performance was compared nationwide using risk-adjusted data to account for differences in patient populations. Scores across the 13 indicators were combined into an overall patient safety score and used to rank hospitals; those in the top 10% received the Patient Safety Excellence Award.
Hospitals must also meet eligibility requirements, including meeting clinical quality thresholds, reporting data on at least seven of eight core patient safety indicators, and having no documented cases of foreign objects left in patients after procedures.
Experts say safety ratings like these can help patients compare facilities when choosing care. “Rankings like those offered by Healthgrades should be able to assist healthcare consumers in making better decisions for themselves and their loved ones,” said Robert Bonar, Dr.H.A., the Gordon A. Friesen Professor of Healthcare Administration at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. At the same time, specialists note these ratings are best used as one of several tools: individual medical needs, specific clinician experience, and recommendations from trusted providers also matter. Bonar recommends prioritizing sources that use statistically sound outcomes, measurable complication rates, and morbidity and mortality data, and combining rating information with patient reviews and conversations with clinicians to get a fuller picture.
The full list of Patient Safety Excellence Award recipients and Healthgrades’ methodology are available on the Healthgrades website.
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