# Kentucky hospitals slip in patient safety ratings  
**Published:** 2026-05-18T19:19:23.000Z  
**Source:** [Kentucky Health News](https://kyhealthnews.net/2026/05/18/fewer-ky-hospitals-graded-in-national-patient-safety-ratings-state-ranks-22nd-in-share-of-hospitals-with-a-ratings/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/kentucky-hospitals-slip-in-patient-safety-ratings

[Kentucky Health News](https://kyhealthnews.net) reported that Kentucky hospitals' performance in the Leapfrog Group's latest patient safety ratings remained relatively flat despite fewer hospitals receiving top marks. [The Leapfrog Group's spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grade](https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/), released in May, showed that [Kentucky ranked 22nd among states](https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/media/file/State-Rankings-Leapfrog-Hospital-Safety-Grades-SPRING-2026-7.pdf?rnd=489) in the percentage of hospitals earning "A" grades.

[The Leapfrog Group assigns letter grades based on a hospital's ability to protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections](https://www.leapfroggroup.org/news-events/new-leapfrog-hospital-safety-grades-show-significant-improvement-patient-safety). The organization evaluates hospital performance using up to 32 measures, including infection rates, medication safety practices and patient experience scores.

The number of graded Kentucky hospitals remained consistent with previous reports. Of the 60 Kentucky hospitals evaluated in the latest assessment, the vast majority continued to receive lower grades. Most Kentucky hospitals received "C" ratings, the most common grade in the state, while others earned "A," "B," and "D" grades.

The latest report marked a notable change from the previous evaluation cycle. In May 2025, Kentucky had dropped to 36th nationally after having ranked 22nd in fall 2024, when 29.5 percent of hospitals earned top "A" grades. The state's recovery to 22nd place represents a rebound from that significant decline.

[Nationwide, the spring 2026 grades showed significant improvements](https://www.leapfroggroup.org/hospitals/search/list/states/Kentucky) in infection prevention and medication safety. [National data revealed improvements in healthcare-associated infections, bar code medication administration and computerized physician order entry systems](https://www.leapfroggroup.org/news-events/new-leapfrog-hospital-safety-grades-show-significant-improvement-patient-safety), which help prevent prescribing errors.

The Leapfrog Group's current methodology was affected by a federal court ruling in a lawsuit filed by five Florida hospitals, resulting in [450 hospitals nationwide receiving no grade assignment for the spring 2026 cycle](https://www.leapfroggroup.org/news-events/new-leapfrog-hospital-safety-grades-show-significant-improvement-patient-safety). The organization is appealing the ruling while reviewing its grading methodology.

## Sources

- [Kentucky Health News](https://kyhealthnews.net/2026/05/18/fewer-ky-hospitals-graded-in-national-patient-safety-ratings-state-ranks-22nd-in-share-of-hospitals-with-a-ratings/)
- [Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade official website](https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/)
- [Spring 2026 Leapfrog State Rankings](https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/media/file/State-Rankings-Leapfrog-Hospital-Safety-Grades-SPRING-2026-7.pdf?rnd=489)
- [Leapfrog Group spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grade announcement](https://www.leapfroggroup.org/news-events/new-leapfrog-hospital-safety-grades-show-significant-improvement-patient-safety)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Kentucky Health News, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://kyhealthnews.net/2026/05/18/fewer-ky-hospitals-graded-in-national-patient-safety-ratings-state-ranks-22nd-in-share-of-hospitals-with-a-ratings/.