GoLocalProv | Bankrupt CharterCARE Hospitals Receive Poor Grades for Safety

Monday, November 17, 2025

GoLocalProv News Team

PHOTO: CharterCARE

CharterCARE’s hospitals are facing a potential closure order in the next 50 days. Now, the third-largest hospital group in Rhode Island received more bad news — poor grades for safety.

The non-profit Leapfrog releases safety ratings for some 3,000 hospitals nationally twice a year. Leapfrog grades hospitals on 22 safety metrics, such as infection rates and preventable errors, that are reported by the hospitals to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Another seven safety indicators come from Leapfrog’s own survey that hospitals voluntarily complete. Fall ratings include data from 2021 to 2025.

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The worst-performing hospital group was the bankrupt CharterCARE. SEE ALL GRADES BELOW

A spokesperson for CharterCARE, Otis Brown, said in a statement to GoLocal, CharterCARE is fully committed to safe, quality patient care and is nationally accredited by The Joint Commission and other organizations that survey hospitals.”

“We choose not to participate in this particular survey as only 50% of hospitals nationally choose to subscribe to it. Leapfrog assigns a letter grade whether you report data or not. This means they have created an inaccurate picture of the quality we provide to patients. Our accreditations, our CMS-star rating improvements, and other benchmarks, speak solidly to that success,” added Brown.

But, the study is based on federally reported data, not the individual hospital’s data.

Leapfrog says the study is important, “When we talk about patient safety, we’re really talking about how hospitals and other health care organizations protect their patients from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. While many hospitals are good at keeping their patients safe, some hospitals aren’t. Upwards of 250,000 people die every year from preventable errors in hospitals. It’s up to everyone to make sure that patient safety is the number one priority at every hospital across the United States. Some hospitals have hidden dangers, but there are things you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones.

How the Rhode Island Hospitals Scored:

Newport Hospital

Ownership: Brown Health

Grade: A

The Miriam Hospital

Ownership: Brown Health

Grade: A

Rhode Island Hospital

Ownership: Brown Health

Grade: A

Westerly Hospital

Ownership: Yale New Haven

Grade: A

Landmark Medical Center

Ownership: Prime Healthcare (one of the groups in consideration of purchasing CharterCARE)

Grade: A

Kent Hospital

Ownership: Care New England

Grade: C

Our Lady of Fatima

Ownership: CharterCARE

Grade: C

South County Hospital

Ownership: Independent

Grade: C

Roger Williams Hospital

Ownership: CharterCARE

Grade: D

Roger Williams — the worst performing state in the state scored especially poorly — “Below Average” in two categories.

MRSA infection

Staph bacteria are common in hospitals, but Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to (cannot be killed by) many antibiotics. MRSA can be found in bed linens or medical equipment and can be spread if providers do not properly wash their hands between patients. MRSA can cause life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections.

Infection in the urinary tract

If a patient is in the hospital, he or she may require a urinary catheter. Patients with catheters are at risk for developing a dangerous infection in the urinary tract. These serious infections can lead to other complications, increase recovery time, and can often lead to death.

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