A majority of Mississippi hospitals evaluated for safety earned A-grades, according to a recent report.
file
Martha Dominguez de Gouveia via Unsplash
More Mississippi hospitals are considered safe this spring than last fall, but some still need improvement, a new report finds.
The Magnolia State ranks 20th overall among states with the safest hospitals, up from 33rd in November, according to a May ranking by the Leapfrog Group, a health care watchdog organization.
The biannual report gives hospitals across the country a letter grade based on how well they protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections, analysts said.
“Hospitals across the country are making meaningful strides in patient safety and helping save countless lives,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.
Here’s which hospitals in Mississippi are the least and most safe.
Which MS hospitals are the least safe?
Less than one-third of Mississippi hospitals are considered unsafe, receiving a C or lower, according to the report. Out of the 37 Mississippi hospitals on the list, 11 received C grades and one received an F grade. Leapfrog did not give any hospital in the state a D grade, one hospital was not graded and one was not assigned.
These are the Mississippi hospitals that scored a C or lower, according to Leapfrog’s report:
C grades
Baptist Anderson Regional Medical CenterBaptist Memorial Hospital DeSotoBiloxi HMA, LLC dba Memorial Hospital BiloxiMerit Health CentralMerit Health NatchezMerit Health River OaksNorth Mississippi Medical Center – TupeloOCH Regional Medical CenterSouthwest Mississippi Regional Medical CenterUniversity of Mississippi Medical CenterUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center Grenada
F grades
South Central Regional Medical Center
Which MS hospitals are the safest?
Eleven Mississippi hospitals earned A grades and 12 earned B grades, according to the report.
These are the safest hospitals in the state, according to Leapfrog’s report:
A grades
Baptist Memorial Hospital of Union CountyMethodist Olive Branch Hospital81st Medical Group – Kessler AFBBaptist Memorial Hospital Golden TriangleBolivar Medical CenterDelta Health System – The Medical CenterKing’s Daughters Medical CenterOchsner Medical Center HancockOschner Rush Medical CenterUMMC Madison
B grades
Baptist Memorial Hospital – BoonevilleForrest General HospitalMagnolia Regional Health CenterMemorial Health SystemMerit Health River RegionMerit Health WesleyNorth Mississippi Medical Center – West PointNorth Mississippi Medical Center Gilmore-AmorySinging River GulfportSinging River Health System dba Pascagoula HospitalSinging River Ocean SpringsSt. Dominic-Jackson Memorial HospitalWhich states have the highest percentage of A-graded hospitals?
These are the hospitals with the highest percentage of A-grade hospitals, according to Leapfrog:
1. Connecticut
2. Virginia
3. South Carolina
4. Utah
5. Montana
6. New Jersey
7. Florida
8. Maryland and North Carolina (tie)
10. California
Which states have the lowest percentage of A-grade hospitals?
These are the hospitals with the lowest percentage of A-grade hospitals, according to Leapfrog:
1. Wyoming, Vermont, South Dakota and North Dakota (tie at 0%)
5. Iowa
6. West Virginia
7. Alabama
8. New Mexico
9. Minnesota
10. Alaska
How did experts determine hospital safety?
The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2026 hospital safety grades are assigned to eligible general acute-care hospitals across the nation and determined based on up to 22 national patient safety measures, according to Leapfrog.
mcclatchy-newsroom
Natalie Demaree is a service journalism reporter covering Mississippi for McClatchy Media. She holds a master’s in journalism from Columbia Journalism School and a bachelor’s in journalism and political science with a specialization in African and African American Studies from the University of Arkansas.