Fourteen San Diego County hospitals, including all five Scripps campuses, received top grades in protecting patient safety according to the latest hospital safety grades published last week by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog. 

Scripps Green Hospital, Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas, Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla, Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista and Scripps Mercy Hospital San Diego, have received an “A” grade for patient safety, a first for the health system. 

“Given the extraordinary challenges that our physicians and employees have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, these grades are an exceptional achievement for our healthcare organization, and a clear sign that our efforts to remain focused on the quality of care that we deliver to our patients are succeeding,” said Ghazala Sharieff, MD, MBA, Scripps corporate senior vice president and chief medical officer for acute care operations and clinical excellence.

In California, 95 hospitals (34%) received an A, making it 12th in the nation when it comes to the percentage of high-grade hospitals, compared to the fall rankings when California placed 25th.

The Leapfrog Group uses more than 30 measurements of patient safety to grade nearly 3000 hospitals nationwide using the academic grading scale. Patient experience measures included communication with nurses and doctors, staff responsiveness, and communication about medicine and discharge information. 

Nationally, the average of all five measures declined when compared to pre-pandemic measures, according to the report.

Leapfrog San Diego area ratings:

A

• Kaiser Permanente San Diego Medical Center
• Kaiser Permanente Zion Medical Center
• Paradise Valley Hospital, National City
• Scripps Green Hospital, La Jolla
• Scripps Memorial Hospital of Encinitas
• Scripps Memorial Hospital of La Jolla
• Scripps Mercy Hospital of Chula Vista
• Scripps Mercy Hospital of San Diego
• Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center
• Sharp Coronado Hospital and Healthcare Center
• Sharp Grossmont Hospital, La Mesa
• Sharp Memorial Hospital, San Diego
• UC San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Medical Center
• UC San Diego Health La Jolla - Jacobs Medical Center and Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center

B

• Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, San Diego
• Palomar Medical Center Escondido
• Palomar Medical Center Poway

C

• Tri-City Medical Center, Oceanside