66 Virginia Hospitals Graded on Patient Safety: 31 'A' Grades, Three 'D' Grades

RICHMOND, VA — Thirty-one of 66 hospitals in Virginia scored an "A" in new safety grades released Monday by the nonprofit Leapfrog Group. The commonwealth had 14 facilities score a "C" or a "D" grade. There were no "F" grades given in the state.

The Leapfrog Group uses "30 evidence-based measures of patient safety," including patient injuries, accidents and infections. Numerical scores are converted into letter grades. Of more than 2,600 hospitals graded nationwide, there were 844 "A" grade hospitals and only 20 "F" grade hospitals. Leapfrog is a nonprofit founded by large employers in 2000 to improve health care quality and safety.

Notable results in Northern Virginia included "A" grades for Inova Loudoun Hospital, Virginia Hospital Center - Arlington, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Reston Hospital Center, Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, Inova Mount Vernon Hospital and Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center. Three other hospitals in the region scored a "B."

Virginia was ranked 10th when states were compared based on the percentage of hospitals with "A" grades. D.C. was ranked at the bottom, with no A-grade hospital. Maryland is the only state not included in the grade system. States that have shown improvement have put a priority on safety, says Leapfrog President and CEO Leah Binder.

“In the fast-changing health care landscape, patients should be aware that hospitals are not all equally competent at protecting them from injuries and infections," she said in a statement. "We believe everyone has the right to know which hospitals are the safest and encourage community members to call on their local hospitals to change, and on their elected officials to spur them to action."

See States Ranked Best to Worst in Hospital Safety

Leapfrog's grades aren't the only ratings that consumers can use to hold local hospitals accountable. Some of the data used by Leapfrog comes from federal measurements shared at Medicare's "Hospital Compare" website. On that site, hospitals are given 1- to 5-star ratings.

Here are the Virginia hospital grades from Leapfrog:

• Augusta Health, C
• Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center, B
• Bon Secours Mary Immaculate Hospital, B
• Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center, D
• Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical Center, A
• Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center, A
• Bon Secours St. Mary's Hospital of Richmond, A
• Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital, C
• Carilion New River Valley Medical Center, A
• Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, C
• Centra Lynchburg General Hospital, B
• Centra Southside Community Hospital, A
• Centra Virginia Baptist Hospital, B
• Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, D
• CJW Medical Center ‐ Chippenham Campus, B
• CJW Medical Center ‐ Johnston‐Willis Campus, A
• Clinch Valley Medical Center, A
• Community Memorial Healthcenter, C
• Danville Regional Medical Center, D
• Fauquier Hospital, C
• Henrico Doctors' Hospital, A
• Inova Alexandria Hospital, C
• Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, A
• Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, B
• Inova Loudoun Hospital, A
• Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, A
• John Randolph Medical Center, A
• Johnston Memorial Hospital, C
• LewisGale Hospital ‐ Alleghany, A
• LewisGale Hospital ‐ Montgomery, B
• LewisGale Hospital ‐ Pulaski, C
• LewisGale Medical Center, B
• Mary Washington Hospital, B
• Memorial Hospital of Martinsville, B
• Norton Community Hospital, B
• Novant Health Prince William Medical Center, B
• Parham Doctors' Hospital, A
• Reston Hospital Center, A
• Retreat Doctors' Hospital, A
• Riverside Regional Medical Center, B
• Sentara CarePlex Hospital, A
• Sentara Halifax Regional Hospital, C
• Sentara Leigh Hospital, A
• Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital, C
• Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, B
• Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center, A
• Sentara Obici Hospital, A
• Sentara Princess Anne Hospital, A
• Sentara RMH Medical Center, A
• Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, A
• Sentara Williamsburg Regional Medical Center, A
• Smyth County Community Hospital, B
• Southampton Memorial Hospital, B
• Southside Regional Medical Center, B
• Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center, A
• Stafford Hospital, C
• Twin County Regional Healthcare, A
• University of Virginia Medical Center, B
• UVA Culpeper Hospital, A
• VCU Health System, B
• Virginia Hospital Center‐Arlington Health System, A
• Warren Memorial Hospital, A
• Wellmont Lonesome Pine Hospital, B
• Wellmont Mountain View Regional Medical Center, B
• Winchester Medical Center, A
• Wythe County Community Hospital, A

See more about the safety grades, including the methodology.

Image via Shuttestock