Florida hospitals surge to seventh nationally in Leapfrog’s spring safety grades

Florida climbed from 15th to seventh nationally in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, one of the biggest jumps in the country amid broad improvements nationally in measures tied to infections, medication errors and patient care experiences.

However, the spring grades, released Wednesday by The Leapfrog Group, arrive with major changes in how the nonprofit hospital watchdog organization handles facilities that do not participate in its survey process.

For the first time, Leapfrog no longer assigns grades to non-participating hospitals. Instead, roughly 450 hospitals nationwide are listed as “Grade Not Assigned,” or GNA, following a federal court ruling in South Florida involving five Palm Beach County hospitals.

ALSO READ: U.S. judge rules Leapfrog’s safety ratings were unfair to nonparticipating hospitals

Leapfrog said the court order technically applied only to those hospitals, but the organization chose to stop grading all non-participants because the safety grades are a national program. Eight GNAs were in Florida, including the five in Palm Beach.

Of the 191 Florida hospitals included in the latest cycle, 81 earned an “A” grade, 60 received a “B,” and 40 received a “C.” Two hospitals received a “D,” while eight Florida hospitals were not assigned a grade.

Forty-one Florida hospitals earned “Straight A” designations for maintaining top scores for five or more consecutive grading periods.

That state placed seventh in the percentage of hospitals earning an “A” after placing 15th in fall 2025.

Connecticut ranked first nationally, followed by Virginia, South Carolina, Utah and Montana. Montana cracked the top five for the first time. At the other end of the rankings, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming had no hospitals receive an “A.”

Leapfrog officials pointed to significant national improvements in patient safety indicators since pandemic-era setbacks drove infection rates sharply higher.

According to Leapfrog, central line-associated bloodstream infections declined 50% from their recent peak, while catheter-associated urinary tract infections fell 45%. MRSA infections dropped 42%, and Clostridium difficile infections declined 30%.

ALSO READ: HCA, AdventHealth boost Florida to 15th in Leapfrog hospital safety rankings

The organization also highlighted improvements in medication safety systems. By 2025, 90% of hospitals met Leapfrog’s standard for computerized physician order entry systems designed to catch prescribing errors, up from 66% in 2018. Hospitals meeting standards for barcode medication administration systems rose from 47% to 93% over the same period.

Leapfrog said patient experience scores tied to communication, responsiveness and discharge information also improved after hitting low points in 2023.

“The good news is that hospitals across the country are making meaningful strides in patient safety and helping save countless lives,” Leapfrog president and CEO Leah Binder said in a statement.

Leapfrog has appealed the court ruling that challenged its methodology for non-participating hospitals.

The lawsuit, brought by Palm Beach Health Network hospitals, argued Leapfrog assigned grades using incomplete or estimated data for facilities that declined to participate.

Palm Beach Health Network officials said Leapfrog’s change validates the lawsuit’s claims.

“Leapfrog clearly recognizes that it cannot accurately grade non-participating hospitals, and we’re glad to see these hospitals will no longer be subjected to grades based on made-up data,” Maggie Gill, Eastern Group President for PBHN, said in a statement.

The court found the methodology was not based on actual performance and sought to “punish nonparticipating hospitals as a means of forcing hospitals to cooperate in submitting their surveys.”

Leapfrog has since removed previously issued grades for non-participating hospitals and issued corrective disclosures to hospitals that licensed earlier grades.

These eight Florida hospitals did not participate in 2024 or 2025, and did not receive a spring 2026 grade:

The PBHN facilities of Good Samaritan Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach; Delray Medical Center in Delray Beach; Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center; and West Boca Medical Center.Baptist Hospital in Pensacola and Gulf Breeze Hospital, both owned by Baptist Health Care in Pensacola.DeSoto Memorial Hospital in Arcadia, owned by the DeSoto County Hospital District but leased to Tampa General Hospital since November.

Florida “Straight A” hospitals

AdventHealth ApopkaAdventHealth Carrollwood, TampaAdventHealth CelebrationAdventHealth Dade CityAdventHealth DeLandAdventHealth East Orlando, OrlandoAdventHealth Fish Memorial, Orange CityAdventHealth KissimmeeAdventHealth New Smyrna BeachAdventHealth OcalaAdventHealth OrlandoAdventHealth Wesley ChapelAdventHealth Winter ParkAdventHealth ZephyrhillsBaptist Health South Miami HospitalBaptist Health West Kendall, MiamiBaptist Medical Center Beaches, Jacksonville BeachBaptist Medical Center Nassau, Fernandina BeachCape Coral HospitalHCA Florida Kendall Hospital, MiamiHCA Florida North Florida Hospital, GainesvilleHCA Florida South Tampa Hospital, TampaHCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital, Port St. LucieHealthpark Medical Center, Fort MyersJupiter Medical CenterLee Memorial Hospital, Fort MyersMayo Clinic JacksonvilleMease Countryside Hospital, Safety HarborMease Dunedin HospitalMemorial Hospital MiramarMorton Plant Hospital, ClearwaterMorton Plant North Bay Hospital, New Port RicheyOrlando Health South Lake Hospital, ClermontOviedo Medical CenterSarasota Memorial Hospital, SarasotaSarasota Memorial Hospital, VeniceSt. Anthony’s Hospital, St. PetersburgSt. Joseph’s Hospital, TampaSt. Joseph’s Hospital – North, LutzSt. Joseph’s Hospital- South, RiverviewWinter Haven Hospital

Florida other “A” hospitals

AdventHealth Lake WalesAdventHealth North Pinellas, Tarpon SpringsAdventHealth Palm CoastAdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway, Palm CoastAdventHeart Sacred Heart Hospital, Miramar BeachAdventHealth Winter GardenAscension Sacred Heart PensacolaAscension St. Vincent’s Riverside, JacksonvilleBaptist Health Baptist Hospital of MiamiBaptist Health Doctors Hospital, Coral GablesBaptist Health Homestead HospitalBaptist Health Hospital – DoralBartow Regional Medical CenterBayCare Hospital Wesley ChapelBroward Health Coral SpringsCleveland Clinic Hospital WestonCleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, Vero BeachCoral Gables HospitalFlagler Hospital, St. AugustineHCA Florida Englewood HospitalHCA Florida Highlands Hospital, SebringHCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital, BrooksvilleHCA Florida Putnam Hospital, PalatkaHCA Florida Raulerson Hospital, OkeechobeeHCA Florida Twin Cities Hospital, NicevilleHialeah HospitalLakewood Ranch Medical CenterLarkin Community Hospital, South MiamiLarkin Community Hospiotal – Palm Springs Campus, HialeahManatee Memorial Hospital, BradentonNaval Hospital JacksonvilleOrlando Health Bayfront Hospital, St. PetersburgOrlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital, OrlandoOrlando Health Horizon West Hospital, Winter GardenOrlando Health Melbourne HospitalSanta Rosa Medical Center, MiltonSt. Vincent’s Medical Center Clay County, MiddleburgTamp General Hospital Crystal RiverViera Hospital, Melbourne

Florida “B” hospitals

AdventHealth Altamonte SpringsAdventHealth Daytona BeachAdventHealth Heart of Florida, DavenportAdventHealth Lake PlacidAdventHealth SebringAdventHealth TampaAdventHealth Waterman, TavaresAscension St. Vincent’s St. Johns County, St. JohnsBaptist Health Boca Raton Regional HospitalBaptist Medical Center JacksonvilleBaptist Medical Center South, JacksonvilleBroward Health Imperial Point, Fort LauderdaleBroward Health North, Deerfield BeachCape Canaveral Hospital, Cocoa BeachCleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital, StuartCleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital, Port St. LucieGulf Coast Medical Center, Fort MyersHalifax Health UF Health Medical Center of DeltonaHCA Florida Aventura HospitalHCA Florida Blake Hospital, BradentonHCA Florida Brandon HospitalHCA Florida Citrus Hospital, InvernessHCA Florida Fawcett Hospital, Port CharlotteHCA Florida Fort Walton-Destin Hospital, Fort Walton BeachHCA Florida Gulf Coast Hospital, Panama CityHCA Florida Lake City HospitalHCA Florida Lehigh Hospital, Lehigh AcresHCA Florida Mercy Hospital, MiamiHCA Florida Orange Park HospitalHCA Florida Sarasota Doctors HospitalHCA Florida St. Petersburg HospitalHCA Florida Trinity HospitalHCA Florida West Hospital, PensacolaHCA Florida Westside Hospital, PlantationHCA Florida Woodmont Hospital, TamaracHolmes Regional Medical Center, MelbourneJackson North Medical Center, North Miami BeachJackson South Medical Center, MiamiJackson West Medical Center, DoralLower Keys Medical Center, Key WestMemorial Hospital Pembroke, Pembroke PinesMemorial Hospital West, Pembroke PinesMemorial Regional Hospital, HollywoodMemoril Regional Hospital South, HollywoodNCH Baker Hospital, NaplesNCH North Naples Hospital, NaplesOrlando Health Lake Mary HospitalOrlando Health Sebastian River Hospital, SebastianOrlando Health – Health Central Hospital, OcoeeOrlando Health – Orlando Regional Medical Center, OrlandoPhysicians Regional Healthcare System – Collier, NaplesSouth Florida Baptist Hospital, Plant CitySt. Vincent’s Medical Center Southside, JacksonvilleTallahassee Memorial HealthcareUF Health JacksonvilleUF Health Leesburg HospitalUF Health North, JacksonvilleUF Health Shands Hospital, GainesvilleUF Health-Spanish Plaines, The Villages