These are SLO County’s safest hospitals, new report says. Is yours on the list?
How safe are hospitals in the San Luis Obispo County areas?
Three local hospitals scored “A” grades in The Leapfrog Group’s latest report.
The nonprofit organization, which focuses on patient safety and care, issues Hospital Safety Grade reports twice a year for general hospitals across the United States.
Grades are based on hospitals’ ability to “protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections,” The Leapfrog Group said.
Nearly 40% of California hospitals received “A” grades for patient safety in spring 2026, with a total of 113 healthcare facilities earning A’s, according to the group.
That means the Golden State ranks among the 10 safest states for hospital patients in the country, The Leapfrog Group said.
“The good news is that hospitals across the country are making meaningful strides in patient safety and helping save countless lives,” Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a Thursday, May 6, news release. “But not all hospitals are the same. That’s why it’s so important for people to ... do their research when choosing a hospital.”
See how hospitals in and around San Luis Obispo County fared:
What are the safest hospitals in SLO County?
Two hospitals in SLO County received “A” grades in The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2026 report: French Hospital Medical Center in San Luis Obispo and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital.
Both hospitals received perfect scores for their practices to prevent errors, including handwashing, safely administering medication and communication with patients being discharged.
The hospitals scored average or above average in terms of efforts to prevent infections and safety problems, as well as communication between doctors, nurses and staff.
French Hospital, 1911 Johnson Ave in San Luis Obispo, scored below average when it came to preventing problems with surgery such as wounds splitting open, blood leaks and kidney injuries.
Arroyo Grande Community Hospital also received a low score for surgical safety, with issues including dangerous objects left in a patient’s body and death from serious treatable complications.
The hospital at 345 South Halcyon Road in Arroyo Grande also scored low for specially trained doctors for intensive care unit patients.
Both hospitals are part of the Dignity Health healthcare system.
The Leapfrog Group considers French Hospital a “Straight A” hospital, since it has been awarded that grade for 29 consecutive reports. Only one other hospital in California has achieved that honor.
“For me, it signifies more than just a grade,” Sue Andersen, president and CEO at French Hospital Medical Center, said in a news release on Wednesday, May 6. “It’s a profound validation that our community can truly trust French Hospital to provide the safest and highest quality healthcare,”
What’s the safest hospital in Santa Maria?
Marian Regional Medical Center, 1400 East Church St. in Santa Maria, also received an A grade for patient safety in The Leapfrog Group’s spring 2026 report.
The Dignity Health hospital came close to a perfect score for its work to prevent safety problems, and its practices to prevent errors were all above average.
However, Marian Regional Medical Center faltered in terms of its efforts to prevent certain infections and surgical problems.
Which local hospitals got C grades for hospital safety?
Both Adventist Health hospitals in SLO County got “C” grades for patient safety in spring 2026, The Leapfrog Group said.
Adventist Health Sierra Vista, 1010 Murray Ave. in San Luis Obispo, received below-average scores in parts of four categories: infections, problems with surgery, safety problems and doctors, nurses and hospital staff.
Specifically, the hospital performed worse than average in terms of surgical wounds splitting open, death from serious treatable complications and accidental cuts and tears.
Adventist Health Twin Cities, 1100 Las Tablas Road in Templeton, received average or above scores for its work to prevent surgical problems.
However, the hospital failed to sufficiently prevent issues including dangerous blood clots, urinary tract infections and falls causing broken hips.
It also scored poorly for handwashing, communication about medications and communication with doctors and nurses.
Adventist Health released a press statement on Wednesday, May 6, congratulating its Central California hospitals that received an A grade but failed to mention the low grades for the two hospitals in SLO County.
How did SLO County hospitals rank in the past?
According to The Leapfrog Group, French Hospital Medical Center has consistently received A grades for patient safety since 2023.
From fall 2023 to spring 2026, Marian Regional Medical Center earned perfect patient safety grades as well. In spring 2023, the hospital got a B grade.
Arroyo Grande Community Hospital has received a mix of A and B grades since spring 2023, according to The Leapfrog Group.
Adventist Health Sierra Vista has consistently scored B or C grades during that time period.
Although it’s scored mostly Bs and Cs, Adventist Health Twin Cities got an A for patient safety in spring 2024.
No grades were assigned for the Adventist Health hospitals in fall 2024 and spring 2025.
How did The Leapfrog Group grade hospitals?
In spring 2026, The Leapfrog Group graded more than 2,300 hospitals across the nation on patient safety.
However, the organization did not assign health safety grades to 450 hospitals that did not participate in its surveys in 2024 and 2025, due to a ruling in a Florida federal court.
Grades were calculated by using “evidence-based measures” in five categories:
- Infections
- Problems with surgery
- Safety problems
- Practice to prevent errors
- Doctors, nurses and hospital staff
“Taken together, these measures are used to produce a single letter grade representing Leapfrog’s perspective on a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors,” The Leapfrog Group said.
An expert panel of nine doctors and consultants help guide the organization in adjusting the measures and scoring methodology for the hospitals.
