How safe are Merced County hospitals? See latest grades for patient care
Two Merced-area hospitals are among the safest in the nation, according to a new national report evaluating patient safety at medical centers.
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit organization 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 United States.
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, two Merced County facilities received “A” grades for fall 2025.
Here’s why:
Which Merced County hospitals were graded an ‘A’ for patient safety?
Mercy Medical Center, 333 Mercy Ave. in Merced, and Memorial Hospital Los Banos, 520 West I St. in Los Banos, were graded as the “most safe hospitals” in Merced County in The Leapfrog Group’s latest report.
While Memorial Hospital Los Banos has consistently earned an “A” grade since fall 2024, the group said, Mercy Medical Center has maintained high marks since spring 2023.
“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.”
According to new data from The Leapfrog Group, the Los Banos hospital earned high marks for its “better than average” performance in preventing infections, following proper hand-washing protocols and reducing harmful events such as gas bubbles during surgery.
New data for Mercy Medical Center shows the Merced hospital performed well in bedside patient care, safe medication administration and teamwork to prevent medical errors.
Mercy Medical Center is part of the Dignity Health network of hospitals, while Memorial Hospital Los Banos belongs to the Sutter Health network.
“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 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 federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, The Leapfrog Hospital Survey and other data.
Under the guidance of a panel of patient safety experts, The Leapfrog Group 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.
