Only one Stanislaus County hospital got an ‘A’ in new safety report. Which one?
Only one Stanislaus County hospital received an “A” grade in a new national report evaluating patient safety at medical centers.
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that monitors hospital safety and quality of care, releases its Hospital Safety Grade reports twice a year for nearly 3,000 general hospitals in the U.S.
The group’s latest report, released Nov. 13 and searchable as an online database, grades health care facilities across the nation on a scale of A to F, with A being the highest grade and F the lowest. Out of the 286 California hospitals ranked by Leapfrog, only one Stanislaus County facility received an “A” grade for fall 2025.
Here’s what to know.
Which Stanislaus County hospitals was graded an ‘A’ for patient safety?
Kaiser Permanente Modesto Medical Center, at 4601 Dale Road in Modesto, was graded as the “most safe hospital” in Stanislaus County in the fall 2025 report.
The hospital has consistently earned an “A” grade from The Leapfrog Group since spring 2022.
“A small number of hospitals have consistently achieved ‘A’ grades — an impressive feat,” The Leapfrog Group said on its website. “We hope all hospitals will strive to offer this level of dependable care.”
Kaiser Permanente Modesto Medical Center was graded highly for its “better than average” performances related to practices in preventing errors, such as safe medication administration and effective communication among doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
According to new data from The Leapfrog Group, the hospital also fared well in error prevention measures, like safe medication administration and proper hand-washing protocols.
“Choosing your hospital is a matter of personal preference, but we know ‘A’ hospitals do a better job at preventing errors,” The Leapfrog Group said on its website. “If your local hospital rates below an ‘A,’ talk with your doctor at that hospital and urge them to improve their safety.”
How did other local hospitals rank?
These were The Leapfrog Group’s safety grades for other hospitals in Stanislaus County for fall 2025:
B grade
Memorial Medical Center, 1700 Coffee Road, Modesto
D grade
Doctors Medical Center of Modesto, 1441 Florida Ave., Modesto
Emanuel Medical Center, 825 Delbon Ave., Turlock
How did The Leapfrog Group come up with ratings?
The Leapfrog Group assigns hospitals a grade from A to F based on their “overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors.”
These grades are calculated using up to 30 national performance measures sourced from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, The Leapfrog Hospital Survey and other data.
Under the guidance of a panel of patient safety experts, the organization 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.
