2 Coachella Valley Hospitals Earn Very High Marks For Patient Safety: Report

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — A new hospital safety report maintains that two Coachella Valley facilities earn high marks in protecting patients, while another is right up there.

The Leapfrog Group's Spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grades are a biannual ranking that assigns "A," "B," "C," "D" or "F" letter grades to all general hospitals in the United States based on their ability to protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

In the Coachella Valley, Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage and JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio earned A grades, while Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs earned a B.

See rankings for all California hospitals here.

Eisenhower Health has earned the Leapfrog A grade for 10 consecutive cycles.

"This ‘Straight A’ distinction reflects a deeply rooted culture of safety embraced by our physicians, nurses, and staff,” said Eric Leroux, MD, MBA, senior vice president, chief medical officer and chief quality officer, Eisenhower Health. “Every member of our team, from bedside nurses to environmental services, plays an essential role in creating a culture of safety where patients can trust they’re receiving the highest level of care.”

Leapfrog said its biannual report — the only national ratings program focused exclusively on patient safety — shows improvement in 17 measures, including health care-associated infections, medication safety systems and patient experience.

"The good news is that hospitals across the country are making meaningful strides in patient safety and helping save countless lives," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.

After peaking in fall 2022, several health care-associated infections declined sharply nationally, according to the report. Central line-associated bloodstream infections fell by half; catheter-associated urinary tract infections dropped 45 percent; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections declined 42 percent; and serious intestinal infections linked to antibiotic use went down 30 percent.

The report also found gains in medication safety in the United States. Use of computerized physician order entry systems, which can flag prescribing errors, rose from 66 percent of hospitals meeting Leapfrog standards in 2018 to 90 percent in 2025. Adoption of barcode medication administration systems increased from 47 percent to 93 percent over the same period.

Patient experience scores, measured through Medicare and other federal surveys, have improved since hitting a low in fall 2023, rising by about one point on average across five safety-related measures, including communication with nurses and doctors and responsiveness of hospital staff.

Among states, Connecticut, Virginia and South Carolina had the highest share of A-rated hospitals, followed by Utah, Montana, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and California. Montana and Maryland entered the top 10 for the first time, while Florida rose from 15th place in fall 2025 to seventh. No hospitals in North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont or Wyoming received an A grade.

About 450 hospitals were not assigned grades after a federal court ruling in South Florida involving several facilities that did not participate in Leapfrog's 2024 or 2025 survey. The group said it applied the change nationwide and is appealing the decision while reviewing its methodology.