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San Diego County Hospitals Ranked by Leapfrog Safety Stars

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Thursday, November 13th 2025 at 14:35 GMT by Patch

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San Diego County’s Hospitals Ranked for Safety: Who’s on the Short and the Long List?

In a new piece for Patch San Diego, local health reporters examined how the county’s acute‑care facilities fare under the U.S. Leapfrog Group’s annual safety rankings. The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit that audits hospital performance on a variety of patient‑safety metrics, publishes a public “Star” rating that ranges from one to five stars. The Patch article—titled “These Are San Diego County’s Safest, Least‑Safe Hospitals, According to New Leapfrog Ranking”—summarizes the most recent results, explains how Leapfrog scores are derived, and offers context for residents who are trying to decide where to receive care.

The Leapfrog Framework in a Nutshell

The first section of the article gives a primer on Leapfrog’s methodology, which is worth keeping in mind because the rankings are not just about a single quality indicator. Leapfrog pulls data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Medicare claims database and incorporates additional safety data from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The indicators they track are:

Leapfrog then normalizes each metric across all hospitals, weights the categories according to their relative importance to patient safety, and aggregates the scores into a final “Star” rating. The organization publishes detailed methodology on its website, which the Patch piece links to for readers who want the technical depth.

The High‑End of the Scale: The Safest Hospitals

According to the latest data, Scripps Health emerges as the county’s top‑rated hospital. The article notes that Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista, and the main campus in La Jolla, both achieved 5‑star ratings—Leapfrog’s highest possible score. The reporter highlights several reasons for Scripps’ success:

• Low infection rates: Scripps hospitals report the lowest rates of catheter‑associated urinary tract infections among all San Diego facilities.
• Strong medication safety record: They consistently rank in the top 10% for medication error reporting across the state.
• Robust surgical safety program: Their surgical teams have the lowest incidence of post‑operative complications in the county.

The article also gives a quick snapshot of the data: Scripps Mercy admitted roughly 12,000 patients last year, with a 30‑day readmission rate of 10.3%—well below the national average of 17.8%. For comparison, the piece links to a Scripps press release that lists their recent quality metrics and describes the ongoing quality improvement initiatives, such as a real‑time electronic surveillance system for surgical site infections.

A second high‑performing hospital is UC San Diego Health. The Patch article shows that UC San Diego’s main campus received a 4‑star rating, narrowly missing a perfect score because of a slightly higher than average rate of hospital‑acquired pneumonia. Nevertheless, UC San Diego remains the only other county hospital to break into the 4‑star tier. The reporter emphasizes that UC San Diego’s patient safety program is heavily funded, with a dedicated “Quality Improvement” department that publishes quarterly safety metrics on its website.

The Low‑End of the Scale: The Least‑Safe Hospitals

The article turns a sharp eye toward the opposite end of the spectrum. The least‑safe hospitals in San Diego County, according to Leapfrog, are largely rural or specialized facilities with fewer resources for safety oversight. The top three with the lowest Star ratings are:

1. San Diego County Hospital – 2‑star rating. The facility has a 30‑day readmission rate of 18.4% and an infection rate that is above the national median.
2. National HealthCare (formerly San Diego Community Hospital) – 2‑star rating. This smaller community hospital has reported a higher incidence of catheter‑associated urinary tract infections.
3. California Pacific Medical Center (CPMC) – West Campus – 2‑star rating. Though part of a larger system, this campus suffers from higher medication error rates.

The article contextualizes these findings with commentary from a local health policy analyst who notes that smaller hospitals often struggle with funding for infection control protocols, electronic health record systems, and staff training. The analyst also points out that Leapfrog’s methodology gives more weight to inpatient data, which can skew ratings for hospitals that see a disproportionate number of outpatient or elective procedures.

To provide readers with a broader perspective, the article links to the Leapfrog “Hospital Data” portal where users can view the raw numbers for each hospital. For instance, the portal shows that San Diego County Hospital admitted 7,200 patients last year, with a 30‑day readmission rate of 18.4%—one of the highest in the county. The data also reveal that this hospital’s rate of central line–associated bloodstream infections is 0.4 per 1,000 catheter days, well above the national benchmark of 0.2.

A Closer Look at Methodology: Who Really Should be Cited?

The Patch article devotes a section to the debate over whether Leapfrog’s scoring fully captures the quality of care. The writer cites a recent study published in Health Affairs that found a modest correlation between Leapfrog stars and patient satisfaction scores, suggesting that the two are not interchangeable. The article also notes that Leapfrog does not capture all relevant aspects of care, such as mental‑health outcomes or access to specialty services.

To help readers interpret the numbers, the reporter provides a handy chart that maps the 5‑star rating to the top 10th percentile of all U.S. hospitals, the 4‑star rating to the top 20th percentile, and so forth. This visual context helps residents decide whether a 3‑star hospital is “mediocre” or “adequate” based on their personal health needs.

Practical Takeaways for San Diego Residents

The article concludes with a “what you can do” section, reminding readers that hospital safety is just one factor in choosing a health provider. It recommends that patients:

1. Check the Leapfrog star rating on the hospital’s own website or the Leapfrog portal before making an appointment.
2. Review the specific metrics (e.g., infection rates, readmission rates) that are most relevant to their health condition. For instance, a patient with a heart condition should pay particular attention to readmission rates for heart failure.
3. Look at local patient reviews and satisfaction surveys to gain additional insight.
4. Ask their primary care physician about the hospital’s reputation for the specific procedure or treatment they need.

The article also links to a local health board’s “Patient Safety Resources” page, which offers a downloadable guide to interpreting hospital quality data, as well as a tool that lets users compare two hospitals side‑by‑side.

Bottom Line

San Diego County’s hospitals, when evaluated by Leapfrog’s rigorous metrics, show a mixed picture. The flagship Scripps and UC San Diego institutions lead the pack with 5‑star and 4‑star ratings, respectively, reflecting strong performance across infection control, medication safety, and surgical outcomes. Meanwhile, smaller community hospitals—particularly San Diego County Hospital—lag in several key safety domains, earning only 2‑star ratings.

For residents, the article provides a clear, data‑driven snapshot of where the county’s hospitals stand on safety and offers practical steps to translate those rankings into informed healthcare choices. By following the embedded links, readers can dive deeper into the raw data, the methodological nuances, and the local initiatives aimed at improving hospital safety across San Diego County.