4 California hospitals got D grades for patient safety. See which ones
Four California hospitals received D grades in a new national report measuring patient safety and quality of care.
The rankings come from The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization that evaluates hospital safety across the country and releases updated Hospital Safety Grades twice a year.
In its latest report, released Wednesday, May 6, the organization said hospitals nationwide are continuing to improve patient safety standards.
“The good news is that hospitals across the country are making meaningful strides in patient safety and helping save countless lives,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in the report. “But not all hospitals are the same. That’s why it’s so important for people to consult Safety Grades and do their research when choosing a hospital.”
The report grades medical care facilities on a scale from A to F, with A being the highest grade and F the lowest.
Out of 285 California hospitals evaluated, only four received D grades for spring 2026.
Here’s which ones:
Which California hospitals scored a D for patient safety?
No California hospitals received the lowest possible grade — an F — in the latest patient safety rankings from The Leapfrog Group.
However, four hospitals in the state earned a D grade in the spring 2026 report.
El Centro Regional Medical Center, 1415 Ross Ave. in El Centro, received lower marks for handwashing practices and communication among doctors, nurses and staff.
The hospital scored better than average in areas including bedside patient care, intensive care staffing and teamwork aimed at preventing medical errors.
Los Angeles Community Hospital, 4081 E. Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles, was marked down for issues related to medication safety and communication with patients about medicines.
The hospital performed better than average in preventing surgical complications.
Norwalk Community Hospital, 13222 Bloomfield Ave. in Norwalk, got stronger scores for its work to prevent surgery-related problems but received lower ratings for communication between hospital staff and patients.
Meanwhile, Pioneers Memorial Hospital, 207 W. Legion Road in Brawley, received lower scores for urinary tract infections, bed sores and electronic medication ordering systems.
The hospital performed better than average in terms of handwashing practices, bedside patient care and preventing surgical items from being accidentally left inside patients after procedures.
Why didn’t some California hospitals get safety grades?
Some California hospitals were not given safety grades in this spring’s report, following a recent court ruling.
A federal court ruled in favor of five Florida hospitals, finding that The Leapfrog Group’s methodology violated Florida’s unfair and deceptive business practices law, according to the American Hospital Association.
For its spring 2026 report, The Leapfrog Group said it did not assign grades to 450 hospitals nationwide that chose not to participate its survey.
Instead, those facilities were labeled as “grade not assigned.”
In California, 18 hospitals did not have grades assigned for spring 2026. They included Doctors Medical Center and Emanuel Medical Center in Stanislaus County.
“We are confident the court’s decisive ruling will be upheld, and Leapfrog will not escape accountability for harming our patients and our community hospitals,” Maggie Gill, Eastern group president of the Palm Beach Health Network, which includes the hospitals named in the suit, told The Sacramento Bee in a statement.
The Leapfrog Group said it is appealing the ruling and reviewing its grading process “to ensure the Hospital Safety Grade continues to be useful for consumers.”
“Our focus remains on advancing transparency, accuracy, and fairness for the benefit of patients and the broader healthcare system,” Gill said. “We encourage Leapfrog to put patients first and focus on reforming its methodology to be fair and responsible.”
How did The Leapfrog Group come up with rankings?
The Leapfrog Group assigns hospitals a grade from A to F “based on their ability to protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.”
These grades are calculated using about 30 national performance measures sourced from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey and other data.
Under the guidance of a panel of patient safety experts, The Leapfrog Group selected about two dozen evidence-based measures, grouped into five key categories, to create its scoring methodology.
Those categories are:
- Infections
- Problems with surgery
- Safety problems
- Practices to prevent errors
- Doctors, nurses and hospital staff
“You should never refuse care in an emergency because of a hospital’s Safety Grade, but use this website as a guide for planned events and a research tool for potential emergencies,” The Leapfrog Group said on its website.
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 8:00 AM with the headline "4 California hospitals got D grades for patient safety. See which ones."
