These Idaho hospitals got straight A’s for patient safety. See which ones
How safe are hospitals in Idaho?
The Gem State ranked No. 36 in the nation in terms of patient safety, according to The Leapfrog Group’s latest report.
The nonprofit organization evaluates hospital safety across the country and releases updated Hospital Safety Grades twice a year, grading medical care facilities on a scale from A to F.
Grades are based on hospitals’ ability to “protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections,” The Leapfrog Group said, with A being the highest grade and F the lowest.
About 21% of the 11 Idaho hospitals that received grades in The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2026 report received “A” grades, while other hospitals got “B” or “C” grades.
Idaho dropped in the national ranking from No. 21 in fall 2025.
According to Lauren Bailey, director of communications for The Leapfrog Group, the lower ranking is due to a decline in hospitals that received an A.
“It is important to note that this ranking is not reflective of any one individual hospital’s performance, but an aggregate ranking reflecting how Idaho hospitals perform as a group compared to other states’ hospitals,” Bailey told the Idaho Statesman in an email. “Improving these outcomes requires sustained investment, strong leadership and commitment to evidence-based safety practices.”
What are the safest hospitals in Idaho?
A total of three Idaho hospitals received A grades in The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2026 report.
Two of the medical centers — St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center and St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center — are considered “straight A” recipients, as they’ve scored A grades since 2023 spring.
Straight A scores are given when a hospital receives an A for five or more consecutive grading rounds.
“Leapfrog’s recognition reflects both the dedication of St. Luke’s team members and the high standards of care we provide our communities,” Dana Kahn, the vice president of quality operations for St. Luke’s Health System, told the Statesman in an email. “We are grateful to our teams for their deep commitment to providing safe, compassionate, high-quality care every day.”
West Valley Medical Center in Caldwell also received an A for safety in the spring 2026 report. Since this facility scored a B in fall 2024, it can achieve straight A status as early as spring 2027.
How did Idaho hospitals score for patient safety?
Although no Idaho hospitals dipped below C grades in The Leapfrog Group’s latest report, some facilities have room to improve in the next scoring round.
“Every hospital that hasn’t achieved an A grade has a clear roadmap for improvement through the measures we assess,” Bailey said. “The Hospital Safety Grade supports continuous improvement and helps patients make informed care decisions.”
Here’s which hospitals were given B’s for patient care in spring 2026:
- Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls
- Kootenai Health in Coeur D’Alene
- St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Boise
- St. Luke’s Nampa Medical Center
These hospitals received C grades:
- Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello
- St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center - Nampa
- St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston
- St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center in Twin Falls
Why didn’t some hospitals get safety grades?
Three hospitals in Idaho were not given safety grades in the spring 2026 report, following a recent federal court ruling.
For its spring 2026 report, The Leapfrog Group said it did not assign grades to 450 hospitals nationwide that chose not to participate in its 2024 or 2025 survey.
Instead, those facilities were labeled as “grade not assigned.”
In Idaho, the following hospitals were excluded from scoring:
- Idaho Falls Community Hospital
- Madison Memorial Hospital in Rexburg
- Mountain View Hospital in Idaho Falls
“At this time, we are unable to calculate a grade for VA hospitals, critical access hospitals, some specialty hospitals, children’s hospitals, outpatient surgery centers, etc,” The Leapfrog Group said. “Our experts are studying ways to rate them in the future.”
How did The Leapfrog Group come up with rankings?
In spring 2026, The Leapfrog Group graded more than 2,300 hospitals across the nation on patient safety.
These grades are calculated using 32 national performance measures sourced from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems 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.
