New CA Hospital Safety Ratings Released: 2 Get 'F' Grade, 95 Get 'A'

CALIFORNIA — Nearly 34 percent of California hospitals received top grades in protecting patient safety, according to the spring 2023 hospital safety grades released Wednesday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog. That's an improvement compared to the last round of rankings, even as the average risk of contracting deadly infections remained elevated nationwide after spiking to a five-year high during the pandemic.

With one-third of Golden State hospitals earning Leapfrog's top grade, California is 12th in the nation when it comes to the percentage of high-grade hospitals. In the fall rankings, California placed 25th.

In addition to the nationwide elevated infection risk, patient experience measures — like communication from doctors — also declined, according to the report. Leapfrog said the findings should be a wake-up call to hospitals.

The Leapfrog Group uses an academic grading scale with five letter grades to score nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide on more than 30 measures of patient safety. Leapfrog says its hospital rating system is the only one in the country focusing solely on a hospital’s ability to protect patients from preventable errors.

In California, 95 hospitals received an A, 68 hospitals received a B, 93 hospitals received a C, and 23 hospitals received a D grade. Two hospitals received an F: Los Angeles Community Hospital and Pacifica Hospital of the Valley.

"Quality of care and patient safety are our most important priorities at Los Angeles Community Hospital. We have already taken steps to address the issues identified in the recent Leapfrog survey, which is based on 2021-22 data," Los Angeles Community Hospital officials said in an email to Patch. The hospital noted other ranking systems such as the Healthgrades and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that gave Los Angeles Community Hospital four and five star-ratings as well as the Patient Safety Excellence Award.

Here are the ratings, according to Leapfrog:

A

• Adventist Health - Bakersfield
• Adventist Health Glendale
• Adventist Health Hanford
• Adventist Health Selma
• Adventist Health Sonora
• Adventist Health St. Helena
• Arroyo Grande Community Hospital
• Bakersfield Memorial Hospital
• California Pacific Medical Center - Mission Bernal Campus, San Francisco
• Centinela Hospital Medical Center, Inglewood
• Chinese Hospital, San Francisco
• Contra Costa Regional Medical Center, Martinez
• Desert Valley Hospital, Victorville
• Dignity Health St. Bernardine Medical Center, San Bernardino
• Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage
• El Camino Hospital, Mountain View
• El Camino Hospital Los Gatos
• Enloe Medical Center, Chico
• French Hospital Medical Center, San Luis Obispo
• Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital
• Good Samaritan Hospital of San Jose
• Hoag Hospital Irvine
• Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Antioch
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fremont
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Fresno
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Manteca
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Modesto
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Oakland
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Richmond
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Roseville
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Leandro
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Rafael
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Santa Clara
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Santa Rosa
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South San Francisco
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Vacaville
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Vallejo
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Walnut Creek
• Kaiser Permanente Fontana Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Foundation Hospital South Bay, Harbor City
• Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Moreno Valley Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Ontario Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Orange County - Anaheim Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Orange County - Irvine Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center
• La Palma Intercommunity Hospital
• Loma Linda University Medical Center
• Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus
• Los Robles Regional Medical Center, Thousand Oaks
• Mad River Community Hospital, Arcata
• MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center, Laguna Hills
• Mercy General Hospital, Sacramento
• Mercy Hospital of Folsom
• Mercy Medical Center, Merced
• Mercy San Juan Medical Center, Carmichael
• Methodist Hospital of Sacramento
• Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, Burlingame
• Montclair Hospital Medical Center
• Northridge Hospital Medical Center-Roscoe Boulevard Campus
• Paradise Valley Hospital, National City
• Saint Francis Memorial Hospital, San Francisco
• Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System
• San Dimas Community Hospital
• Scripps Green Hospital, La Jolla
• Scripps Memorial Hospital of Encinitas
• Scripps Memorial Hospital of La Jolla
• Scripps Mercy Hospital of Chula Vista
• Scripps Mercy Hospital of San Diego
• Sequoia Hospital, Redwood City
• Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center
• Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital, La Mesa
• Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego
• St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Red Bluff
• St. John's Regional Medical Center of Oxnard
• St. John’s Hospital Camarillo
• St. Mary's Medical Center, San Francisco
• Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento
• Sutter Roseville Medical Center
• Temecula Valley Hospital
• Torrance Memorial Medical Center
• UC San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Medical Center
• UC San Diego Health La Jolla - Jacobs Medical Center and Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center
• UCLA Medical Center of Santa Monica
• UCSF Health - Mission Bay, San Francisco
• UCSF Medical Center Moffitt - Long Hospitals, San Francisco
• University of California Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles
• USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, Glendale
• West Anaheim Medical Center
• Woodland Memorial Hospital

B

• Adventist Health Lodi Memorial
• AHMC Anaheim Regional Medical Center
• Alhambra Hospital Medical Center
• Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, San Diego
• Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton
• Bakersfield Heart Hospital
• Barton Memorial Hospital, South Lake Tahoe
• Chino Valley Medical Center
• Community Hospital of San Bernardino
• Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula
• Desert Regional Medical Center, Palm Springs
• Doctors Medical Center of Modesto
• Eden Medical Center, Castro Valley
• Emanate Health Foothill Presbyterian Hospital, Glendora
• Emanate Health Inter-Community Hospital, Covina
• Garden Grove Hospital and Medical Center
• Garfield Medical Center, Monterey Park
• Glendale Memorial Hospital and Health Center
• Greater El Monte Community Hospital, South El Monte
• JFK Memorial Hospital, Indio
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Baldwin Park Medical Center
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Redwood City
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Sacramento
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Jose
• Kaiser Permanente Downey Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center
• Kaweah Health, Visalia
• Keck Hospital of USC, Los Angeles
• Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
• Marian Regional Medical Center, Santa Maria
• MarinHealth Medical Center, Greenbrae
• Marshall Medical Center, Placerville
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, Los Angeles
• Mercy Hospital - Southwest, Bakersfield
• Mercy Medical Center of Redding
• NorthBay Medical Center, Fairfield
• NorthBay VacaValley Hospital, Vacaville
• Novato Community Hospital
• Palomar Medical Center Escondido
• Palomar Medical Center Poway
• Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center, Riverside
• PIH Health Hospital - Whittier
• Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center
• Providence St. Joseph Hospital Orange
• Regional Medical Center of San Jose
• Riverside University Health System - Medical Center, Moreno Valley
• San Leandro Hospital
• Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital
• Sherman Oaks Hospital
• Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, Grass Valley
• Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, San Luis Obispo
• Sonoma Valley Hospital
• St. Francis Medical Center, Lynwood
• St. Joseph's Medical Center of Stockton
• St. Jude Medical Center, Fullerton
• Stanford Health Care
• Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, Pleasanton
• Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital
• Sutter Davis Hospital
• Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital
• Sutter Solano Medical Center, Vallejo
• Sutter Tracy Community Hospital
• Twin Cities Community Hospital, Templeton
• UCI Health, Orange
• University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento
• USC Arcadia Hospital
• Valley Presbyterian Hospital, Van Nuys
• Whittier Hospital Medical Center

C

• Adventist Health - Delano
• Adventist Health Simi Valley
• Adventist Health Ukiah Valley
• Adventist Health White Memorial, Los Angeles
• AHMC Seton Medical Center, Daly City
• Alameda Hospital
• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center, Oakland
• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center - Alta Bates Campus, Berkeley
• Anaheim Global Medical Center
• Antelope Valley Hospital, Lancaster
• Beverly Hospital, Montebello
• California Hospital Medical Center, Los Angeles
• California Pacific Medical Center - Davies Campus, San Francisco
• Cedars-Sinai Marina Del Rey Hospital
• Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles
• Clovis Community Medical Center
• Coast Plaza Hospital, Norwalk
• College Medical Center, Long Beach
• Community Hospital of Huntington Park
• Community Memorial Hospital, Ventura
• Community Regional Medical Center, Fresno
• Corona Regional Medical Center
• Dameron Hospital, Stockton
• Doctors Hospital of Manteca
• Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz
• East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital
• Emanate Health Queen of the Valley Hospital, West Covina
• Emanuel Medical Center, Turlock
• Encino Hospital Medical Center
• Good Samaritan Hospital, Bakersfield
• Hemet Global Medical Center
• Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center
• Huntington Beach Hospital
• Huntington Hospital, Pasadena
• Inland Valley Medical Center, Wildomar
• John Muir Health Medical Center Concord
• John Muir Medical Center Walnut Creek Campus
• Kaiser Foundation Hospital - South Sacramento
• Kaiser Permanente Foundation Hospital West Los Angeles
• Kaiser Permanente Foundation Hospital Woodland Hills
• Lakewood Regional Medical Center
• Loma Linda University Medical Center, Murrieta
• Lompoc Valley Medical Center
• Los Angeles County - Harbor UCLA Medical Center, Torrance
• Los Angeles County - Olive View UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar
• Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medical Center, Los Angeles
• Memorial Hospital of Gardena
• Memorial Medical Center, Modesto
• MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center, Fountain Valley
• Menifee Global Medical Center, Sun City
• Mercy Hospital - Downtown, Bakersfield
• Monterey Park Hospital
• Natividad Medical Center, Salinas
• O'Connor Hospital, San Jose
• Orange County Global Medical Center, Santa Ana
• Oroville Hospital
• Palmdale Regional Medical Center
• Petaluma Valley Hospital
• PIH Health Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles
• PIH Health Hospital - Downey
• Placentia-Linda Hospital
• Providence Cedars-Sinai Tarzana Medical Center
• Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, Mission Hills
• Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center Torrance
• Providence Mission Hospital Laguna Beach
• Providence Mission Hospital Mission Viejo
• Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center, Napa
• Providence Saint John's Health Center, Santa Monica
• Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Burbank
• Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital
• Providence St. Joseph Hospital Eureka
• Rancho Springs Medical Center, Murrieta
• Redlands Community Hospital
• Riverside Community Hospital
• Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno
• San Antonio Regional Hospital, Upland
• San Gabriel Valley Medical Center, San Gabriel
• San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital, Banning
• San Ramon Regional Medical Center
• Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose
• Santa Paula Hospital
• Shasta Regional Medical Center, Redding
• South Coast Global Medical Center, Santa Ana
• St. Louise Regional Hospital, Gilroy
• St. Mary Medical Center of Long Beach
• Sutter Amador Hospital, Jackson
• Sutter Coast Hospital, Crescent City
• Sutter Delta Medical Center, Antioch
• Tri-City Medical Center, Oceanside
• Ventura County Medical Center
• Washington Hospital Healthcare System, Fremont
• West Hills Hospital and Medical Center
• Wilma Chan Highland Hospital Campus, Oakland

D

• Adventist Health and Rideout, Marysville
• Barstow Community Hospital
• Chapman Global Medical Center, Orange
• El Centro Regional Medical Center
• Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and Medical Center
• Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, Valencia
• Hi-Desert Medical Center, Joshua Tree
• Kern Medical Center, Bakersfield
• Los Alamitos Medical Center
• Memorial Hospital Los Banos
• Mission Community Hospital, Panorama City
• Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District, Brawley
• Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center San Pedro
• Providence St. Mary Medical Center, Apple Valley
• San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp
• San Mateo Medical Center
• Sierra View Medical Center, Porterville
• Southern California Hospital at Culver City
• Southern California Hospital at Hollywood
• St. Rose Hospital, Hayward
• Victor Valley Global Medical Center, Victorville
• Watsonville Community Hospital
• Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center

F

• Los Angeles Community Hospital
• Pacifica Hospital of the Valley, Sun Valley

High rates of three health care-associated infections, or HAIs, “should stop hospitals in their tracks,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a news release, noting that “infections like these can be life or death for some patients.”

“We recognize the tremendous strain the pandemic put on hospitals and their workforce, but alarming findings like these indicate hospitals must recommit to patient safety and build more resilience,” Binder said.

The problematic infections are Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA; central line-associated bloodstream infections, or CLABSI; and catheter-associated urinary tract infections, or CAUTI. When compared to rankings that covered the period immediately before the COVID-19 outbreak, the analysis found an increased infection ratio for all three infections. The spring 2023 rankings cover late 2021 and 2022.

However, another such infection, Clostridioides difficile, or C.Diff, improved and there was no significant change for surgical site infections post surgery, the report said. The standardized infection ratio used to measure changes in the rates of infections compares the actual number of reported infections to the predicted number at each hospital.

“Not only are HAIs among the leading causes of death in the U.S., they also increase length of hospitalization stays and add to costs,” Binder said. “Our pre-pandemic data showed improved HAI measures, but the spring 2023 Safety Grade data spotlights how hospital responses to the pandemic led to a decline in patient safety and HAI management.”

Patient experience measures included communication with nurses and doctors, staff responsiveness, and communication about medicine and discharge information. Nationally, the average of all five measures declined when compared to pre-pandemic measures, according to the report.