Healthgrades 2026: 438 top hospitals for patient safety

Healthgrades has recognized 438 hospitals in 40 states for being the top 10% in the nation for patient safety in its 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award. Patient safety ratings evaluate the safety and quality of care at a hospital by measuring the rate at which serious, potentially preventable complications and adverse events occurred in the hospital.

To evaluate hospital patient safety, Healthgrades uses inpatient data from the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) file and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators Technical Specifications and AHRQ WinQI software (version 2025 ICD-10-CM/PCS August 2025). Learn more about the methodology here.

The states with the most hospitals recognized by Healthgrades for patient safety were Texas (62 hospitals), California (54 hospitals), Florida (43 hospitals), Pennsylvania (33 hospitals), and Illinois (23 hospitals).

If all hospitals performed similarly to the 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award winners, 100,819 patient safety events could have been avoided between 2022 and 2024. "The data behind this year's Patient Safety Excellence Award highlights how measurable improvements in safety can prevent thousands of complications," said Dr. Alana Biggers, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. "Hospitals that prioritize evidence-based safety practices not only achieve better clinical outcomes, but also cultivate a culture where patients come first. These insights give individuals and families the information they need to make confident and better-informed healthcare decisions."