The Leapfrog Group released its spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grade report, ranking Washington 40th out of the 50 states for patient safety. The state ranking dropped 9 spots from the fall 2025 report.
According to the data, 18.8% of hospitals in Washington received an A grade. There are 9 hospitals with an A grade in the state, including PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham.
- EvergreenHealth Kirkland in Kirkland
- PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center in Bellingham
- St Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor
- St Joseph Medical Center of Tacoma in Tacoma
- St Michael Medical Center in Silverdale
- Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle
- Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma
- St Anne Hospital in Burien
- St Clare Hospital in Lakewood
The Leapfrog Group assigns grades to general hospitals twice per year based on performance in preventing medical errors, accidents, injuries, and infections. PeaceHealth St Joseph Medical Center says this is its 13th consecutive A rating from Leapfrog Group.
A total of 20 Washington hospitals received a C grade. This group includes Harborview Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center, University of Washington Medical Center – Northwest Campus, and Overlake Hospital Medical Center.
Oregon ranked 30 in the national study, sharing the position with Kansas and Wisconsin. Idaho dropped 15 spots from fall 2025 to rank 36, with 21.4% of its hospitals earning an A grade.
National metrics showed decreases in 4 healthcare-associated infections since a peak reported in fall 2022:
- central line-associated bloodstream infections decreased by 50%
- catheter-associated urinary tract infections decreased by 45%
- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus decreased by 42%
- Clostridium difficile decreased by 30%
PeaceHealth critical access facilities, including United General Medical Center and Peace Island Medical Center, did not receive letter grades due to data volume requirements for scoring.
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