Temecula Valley Hospital Earns High Mark For Patient Safety: Report

TEMECULA, CA — A new hospital safety report maintains that two Southwest Riverside County facilities earn high marks in protecting patients, while the other three facilities are doing a satisfactory job.

The Leapfrog Group's Spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grades are a biannual ranking that assigns "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F" letter grades to all general hospitals in the United States based on their ability to protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

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In Southwest Riverside County, Temecula Valley Hospital and Loma Linda University Medical Center-Murrieta earned A grades, while Southwest Healthcare Inland Valley Hospital in Wildomar, Southwest Healthcare Rancho Springs Hospital in Murrieta, and Menifee Global Medical Center earned C grades.

See rankings for all California hospitals here.

"We are incredibly proud to earn our 12th 'A' Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a milestone that underscores Temecula Valley Hospital’s long-standing commitment to patient safety and quality," said Hong Min, CEO of Southwest Healthcare. "This achievement is a reflection of our culture of safety and the unwavering dedication of our physicians, nurses, and staff who work tirelessly every day to protect our patients from harm."

Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said an A Grade is a strong sign that Temecula Valley Hospital is deeply committed to protecting patients from harm.

"We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each played in earning this distinction," Binder said.

Leapfrog said its biannual report — the only national ratings program focused exclusively on patient safety — shows improvement in 17 measures, including health care-associated infections, medication safety systems and patient experience.

"The good news is that hospitals across the country are making meaningful strides in patient safety and helping save countless lives," Binder said.

After peaking in fall 2022, several health care-associated infections declined sharply nationally, according to the report. Central line-associated bloodstream infections fell by half; catheter-associated urinary tract infections dropped 45 percent; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections declined 42 percent; and serious intestinal infections linked to antibiotic use went down 30 percent.

The report also found gains in medication safety in the United States. Use of computerized physician order entry systems, which can flag prescribing errors, rose from 66 percent of hospitals meeting Leapfrog standards in 2018 to 90 percent in 2025. Adoption of barcode medication administration systems increased from 47 percent to 93 percent over the same period.

Patient experience scores, measured through Medicare and other federal surveys, have improved since hitting a low in fall 2023, rising by about one point on average across five safety-related measures, including communication with nurses and doctors and responsiveness of hospital staff.

Among states, Connecticut, Virginia and South Carolina had the highest share of A-rated hospitals, followed by Utah, Montana, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and California. Montana and Maryland entered the top 10 for the first time, while Florida rose from 15th place in fall 2025 to seventh. No hospitals in North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont or Wyoming received an A grade.

About 450 hospitals were not assigned grades after a federal court ruling in South Florida involving several facilities that did not participate in Leapfrog's 2024 or 2025 survey. The group said it applied the change nationwide and is appealing the decision while reviewing its methodology.