One Polk County hospital earned top marks across the board in patient safety, while others continue to strive for improvements.
Leapfrog’s 2026 Spring Hospital Safety Grades gave straight A’s to Winter Haven Hospital, operated by BayCare Health System. The hospital has repeatedly managed to score A’s since the Fall 2023 report.
“Winter Haven Hospital has now earned its sixth straight ‘A’ Leapfrog grade, and Bartow Regional Medical Center has received three A’s in a row,” said Dr. Laura Arline, BayCare’s chief quality officer. “These outstanding results are a reflection of our teams who show up every day focused on safe, reliable care. We’re grateful for the trust our communities place in us, and we take that responsibility very seriously.”
The Leapfrog Group, a health care watchdog group, puts together two annual reports ranking most U.S. hospitals from A to F based on their ability to protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections. The grades are solely focused on how safe a hospital is for its patients, according to its website.
Its 2026 Spring Hospital Safety Grades were released on May 6. Leapfrog chose a health care expert panel that uses 32 evidence-based measures of patient safety. Each measure falls into one of two categories: process and structural measures; and patient outcomes.
Winter Haven Hospital scored high in its practices for doctors ordering medications and safe medication administration — as medication errors are the most common type of errors in hospitals, according to Leapfrog.
Overall, Leapfrog’s 2026 report shows significant improvements in 17 different measures of errors and infections across the nation.
“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. “But not all hospitals are the same. That’s why it’s so important for people to consult Safety Grades and do their research when choosing a hospital.”
Who scored lowest in Polk?
Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center was given a “C” grade in patient safety for Spring 2026. It’s the fourth straight C for the health care provider, which last earned a B more than two years ago.
The medical center scored “worse than average” on preventing MRSA infections and infections in the blood for patients with central lines. Other areas marked for improvement included patient deaths from serious, treatable post-surgical complications.
“It’s important to note that this grade is based on publicly reported data from as far back as July 2022 through December 2024. Due to the time lag in reporting, this grade does not reflect the significant improvements our organization has made in key quality metrics,” said Dr. Timothy Regan, president of Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center and LRH’s chief medical officer.
Leapfrog’s scores considered the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare reported data from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2024, when rating the likelihood of patient infections, foreign objects after surgery, developing air embolisms, patient falls and traumas and other risks.
Regan said Lakeland Regional Health has made substantial improvements in key metrics that were considered, including pressure injuries, hospital-acquired infections and surgical outcomes. He noted LRH has received recognition from U.S. News & World Report for its treatment of heart arrhythmias, heart failure, knee replacement and colon cancer surgery.
“Lakeland Regional Health continues to apply evidence-based practices to enhance patient safety and outcomes. We regularly monitor and refine our processes, implementing best practices and collaborating with staff across the organization to ensure the highest possible standards of care,” Regan said in a statement. “We take great pride in serving our community and remain dedicated to improving the experience and outcomes for all who trust us with their care.”
How did Polk hospitals do?
Here’s how all of Polk County’s hospitals ranked, as pulled from Leapfrog’s 2026 Spring Report:
Full reports on the grades given to each of Polk County’s hospitals in each area, best ranked and areas for improvement are available on Leapfrog’s website, www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Here’s how Polk County hospitals placed in latest safety rankings
Reporting by Sara-Megan Walsh, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
