Sutter's Novato Community Hospital Recognized Among Nation’s Top Hospitals for Patient Safety

Sutter's Novato Community Hospital is among a select group of hospitals nationwide recognized for patient safety, earning the 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades. The distinction places Novato Community Hospital in the top 5% of hospitals in the country for patient safety.

The recognition is part of a broader achievement across Sutter Health, where nine hospital campuses were named recipients of the 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award™. Announced during National Patient Safety Awareness Week, the award reflects consistent performance in preventing complications and delivering high-quality care.

In addition to Sutter's Novato Community Hospital, the following Sutter hospitals were recognized:

• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Summit Campus – Top 10% for patient safety
• Alta Bates Summit Medical Center – Alta Bates Campus – Top 10% for patient safety
• CPMC – Mission Bernal Campus – Top 5% for patient safety
• Sutter Davis Hospital – Top 10% for patient safety
• Mills-Peninsula Medical Center – Top 5% for patient safety
• Sutter Roseville Medical Center – Top 10% for patient safety
• Sutter Solano Medical Center – Top 10% for patient safety
• Sutter Tracy Community Hospital – Top 10% for patient safety

“Patient safety excellence reflects a culture where teams are empowered to identify risks and take action to protect patients,” said Dr. William Isenberg, chief medical and quality officer at Sutter Health. “Our teams’ focus on safety, reliability and continuous improvement supports outcomes like this.”

To determine national leaders in patient safety, Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted complication and mortality rates from approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide across 13 patient safety indicators, each representing a serious, potentially preventable complication.

Commitment to safety

Across Sutter, efforts to strengthen patient safety include:

• Frontline peer support through more than 1,800 trained Reliability Coaches who reinforce safe care practices
• Active leadership engagement through regular safety huddles to identify and address risks early
• Systemwide alignment through Sutter Safe Care, launched in 2018, which supports consistent training, communication and high-reliability practices

Statistics are based on Healthgrades’ analysis of MedPAR data from 2022 through 2024 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.