Healthgrades announced on March 10, 2026, that it has named the top 10% of U.S. hospitals for patient safety through its Patient Safety Excellence Award for the 2026 rankings. This award identifies hospitals with the lowest rates of 14 specific preventable patient safety events. These events include injuries, infections, and other serious conditions that occur during hospital stays.
Healthgrades evaluates hospitals using Medicare data from recent years, focusing on risk-adjusted outcomes. The analysis covers inpatient records from approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide. Hospitals in the top 10% receive the Patient Safety Excellence Award because they demonstrate the fewest occurrences of these preventable events compared to peers. The 14 indicators track complications such as:
- postoperative respiratory failure
- pressure sores
- perioperative pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis
- death from serious treatable complications
This recognition highlights hospitals that maintain strict protocols to reduce avoidable harm. Preventable safety events contribute to extended hospital stays, higher costs, and increased patient risk. By achieving top performance, these hospitals show consistent application of evidence-based practices in infection control, medication administration, surgical safety, and fall prevention. The award does not rank hospitals in a numbered order but places recipients in the elite 10% based on objective data.
The timing of the March 10 announcement fits Healthgrades’ 2026 quality awards calendar. This calendar schedules the Patient Safety Excellence Award release separately from other recognitions. For example:
- America’s Best Hospitals awards, covering overall clinical excellence across procedures and conditions, were released on
January 27, 2026 - Specialty Excellence Awards appeared in
October 2025
The separation allows focused attention on specific aspects of care, such as safety.
Patient safety remains a critical issue in U.S. healthcare. Preventable errors lead to thousands of deaths and injuries each year. Healthgrades data shows that hospitals receiving this award perform better on key indicators. If more hospitals matched the performance of award recipients, thousands of adverse events could be avoided annually. The award empowers patients to select facilities with proven records of minimizing harm.
Many hospitals that earn the Patient Safety Excellence Award also appear in other Healthgrades categories. For instance, several recipients of America’s 50 Best Hospitals, America’s 100 Best Hospitals, or America’s 250 Best Hospitals—announced in January 2026—overlap with patient safety honorees. These top-tier lists recognize overall clinical excellence based on mortality and complication rates for 31 common procedures and conditions using Medicare data from 2022-2024. Hospitals like Mayo Clinic facilities, Morristown Medical Center, and others have maintained high performance across multiple years, including patient safety metrics.
The Patient Safety Excellence Award uses a methodology centered on patient outcomes rather than self-reported data. Hospitals cannot apply for the award or submit their own information. Healthgrades pulls objective records and applies risk adjustments to account for patient differences in severity and comorbidities. This approach ensures fair comparisons across facilities of varying sizes and locations.
The award covers hospitals in multiple states. Past years saw hundreds of recipients, often from 40 or more states. The 2026 list follows similar patterns, with strong representation from systems that invest in training, technology, and process improvements. Facilities in competitive markets, including those affiliated with large networks, frequently appear due to standardized safety protocols.
Consumers increasingly rely on these rankings. Surveys indicate that a majority of patients prefer hospitals with quality awards when choosing care. Access to transparent data helps families make informed decisions, especially for elective procedures or serious conditions where safety risks matter most.
Healthgrades maintains its focus on outcomes to drive accountability. By publicizing top performers, the platform exposes gaps in care at lower-performing hospitals. Administrators at non-award facilities face pressure to improve protocols and reduce errors. This competitive dynamic supports broader efforts to curb waste and abuse in healthcare delivery systems that fail to prioritize patient protection.
The 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award underscores the value of rigorous, data-driven evaluation. Hospitals in the top 10% set the standard for what effective safety measures look like in practice. Their success proves that preventable harm can be minimized through disciplined execution of proven strategies.
Patients deserve care environments where risks are controlled, not ignored. Healthgrades’ recognition of these top hospitals demands that the industry continue to prioritize safety over convenience or cost-cutting.
