The Defense Health Agency has announced that 16 military hospitals received an "A" rating in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assessment for Spring 2025. These high grades reflect the DHA's ongoing dedication to transparency and providing high-quality care to service members and their families.
The Leapfrog Group is a national, independent organization focused on health care quality. The organization evaluates hospitals on a wide range of safety measures, including errors, injuries and infections. Leapfrog's grading system uses up to 22 evidence-based measures of patient safety.
A hospital must meet specific criteria to be eligible for participation in the Leapfrog safety assessment. In the Spring 2025 ratings, 32% of participating hospitals nationwide received the highest grade. Of the eligible military hospitals participating in the grading assessment, 73% received an "A" grade.
"These most recent Leapfrog Safety Grades continue to validate DHA's commitment to meeting high standards for the patients we are privileged to serve," said Dr. Paul Cordts, DHA's deputy assistant director for medical affairs and chief medical officer. "We are proud that the care provided at these facilities ranks among the very best in the nation."
DHA's engagement with Leapfrog began about seven years ago when it sought to incorporate Leapfrog's evaluations into the Military Health System's Quality Assurance Program. Walter Reed National Military Medical Center was the first military test site for Leapfrog surveys. After seeing positive results, DHA expanded the program across other eligible military hospitals.
"Our participation in this program showcases the consistent rigor our teams apply to safe, effective health care delivery." said Cordts. " We are proud of our medical teams' effort to meet the quality and safety metrics that Leapfrog has set."
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade program, updated twice a year, evaluates public and private hospitals. Its grades are based on national standards for hospital safety and highlight risks that patients may face in a health care setting, including preventable medical errors and infections. The ratings are available to the public, making it easier for patients to understand the safety standards of their local health care facilities.
The 16 military hospitals that received an "A" grade in Spring 2025 are:
- 81st Medical Group, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi
- 673rd Medical Group, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
- Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
- Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky
- Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
- Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Cavazos, Texas
- Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Eisenhower, Georgia
- Evans Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson, Colorado
- Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
- Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Georgia
- Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
- Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Virginia
- Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, California
- Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
- William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, Texas
- U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, Guam
Some military hospitals were not included in the safety grades this spring because they did not meet the minimum requirements for reporting criteria used by Leapfrog. The DHA has instituted similar criteria internally to ensure patient safety for all facilities that did not qualify for official Leapfrog grades.
"We remain steadfast in our commitment to regular and transparent reporting about the quality of DHA's health care," said Cordts. "These latest grades should bolster our patients' confidence that they are receiving exceptional care at our military hospitals."