The Leapfrog Group spring hospital safety grades are now public and, among St. Lucie County hospitals, HCA St. Lucie Hospital in Port St. Lucie continues to be the only hospital with an A rating.
“HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital is pleased to have been awarded another ‘A’ safety grade from the Leapfrog Group. We recognize the importance of measuring quality and safety in patient care and are proud of our dedicated physicians, nurses and colleagues who provide our patients with exceptional care each day,” wrote HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital Director of Communications and Community Engagement Vincent Postiglione.
“In an effort to continue to improve patient safety, we recently opened a Level II NICU to provide advanced neonatal care on the same floor as our expanded labor and delivery unit, as well as continually evaluating and investing in patient safety processes and equipment to ensure HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital is among the safest hospitals on the Treasure Coast.”.
HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce fell from a B grade in the Fall of 2025 to a C in Spring of 2026.
“We recognize the importance of measuring quality and safety in patient care and are working hard to improve in certain areas. Our physicians, nurses and colleagues are dedicated to providing exceptional care for our patients,” said Alexander Hagan, director of communications and community engagement at HCA Lawnwood.
“We are proud to have recently been recognized with the 2025 and 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades, reflecting our ongoing commitment to patient safety and positive outcomes. In an effort to continue to enhance patient safety, we are actively focused on strengthening key areas that impact performance and implementing initiatives that improve the care experience for every patient we serve,” he said.
All three Cleveland Clinic Martin Health hospitals received a B grade this time around, with Tradition Hospital in Port St. Lucie maintaining its B rating, as did Martin North; Martin South climbed from a C to a B.
St. Lucie County’s newest hospital, Florida Coast Medical Center, is not yet included in the Leapfrog grades as it has been opened for less than a year.
Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital in Vero Beach, meanwhile, finally achieved the A grade its leaders have anticipated since 2024. “This spring, we are proud to recognize the dedication of our caregivers, reflected in the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital which improved to an A.
These results reflect our continued focus on strengthening safety, quality, and the overall patient experience for those who trust us with their care, and for the physicians who trust Cleveland Clinic with their patients,” said hospital Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Richard Rothman.
“We continue to focus on what matters most, striving to provide the highest quality, safest patient-centered care; supporting research and clinical innovation to benefit the people we serve,” Rothman said. “We recognize that no rating methodology is perfect; therefore, we encourage individuals to use a variety of sources to help identify quality care.”
The Leapfrog scoring system, which relies heavily on federal data gleaned from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS, is purposely smoothed over a period of up to two years, depending upon the criteria being evaluated.
Across Florida, 164 of 239 hospitals submitted sufficient data to be graded for both Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. Of those, 96 hospitals or 58.5 percent of facilities scored an A for Spring, 49 hospitals or 29.9 percent scored a B, 17 scored a C, two scored a D and zero hospitals failed.
Twenty-three hospitals improved by one letter grade like Cleveland Clinic Indian River, 10 hospitals dropped one letter grade like HCA Lawnwood, and 131 hospitals remained at the same letter grade. Nearly 89 percent of Florida’s participating hospitals earned an A or a B for this reporting period.
What seemed to boost Vero’s hospital up to an A this time around, and Lawnwood down to a C, were post-surgical complications and infections. Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital made significant strides in this area, while Lawnwood slipped.
Staff Writer Lisa Zahner contributed to this report.