Preventable medical mistakes remain one of the leading causes of death across the United States. According to research from Johns Hopkins Medicine, more than 250,000 patients die each year due to avoidable medical errors. Hospitals must be held accountable for failing to maintain patient safety when these mistakes lead to serious harm or fatalities.
Despite increased awareness of safety protocols and best practices, some hospitals continue to fall short in delivering high standards of care. That’s where The Leapfrog Group, an independent watchdog organization, comes in. For over two decades, Leapfrog has worked to shine a light on healthcare facilities through its biannual Hospital Safety Grade reports, providing patients with transparent, evidence-based evaluations of hospital safety.
In this blog, we’ll discuss the newly released Fall 2025 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades for Connecticut, explain how the grades are calculated, and why these ratings matter when choosing where to receive care.
How Does Leapfrog Determine Hospital Safety Grades?
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is widely regarded as a national benchmark for hospital safety. Its goal is to help facilities identify and correct dangerous practices and to encourage transparency and accountability.
Leapfrog releases its grades twice a year—once in the spring and again in the fall. While participation is voluntary, choosing not to participate should raise concerns for patients doing their research.
Hospitals are graded on an A–F scale, based on dozens of evidence‑based measures grouped into categories such as:
- Safety issues
- Surgical problems
- Hospital‑acquired infections
- Preventive practices for medical errors
- Performance of doctors, nurses, and hospital staff
Each measure contributes to an overall safety score, which is then translated into a final letter grade.
Connecticut, Fall 2025: Highlights
Connecticut continues to perform strongly relative to many other states. In the Fall 2025 report:
- Connecticut placed 4th nationwide for the percentage of hospitals earning an “A” grade.
- Out of 28 acute‑care hospitals in Connecticut, 13 hospitals (≈ 46%) were rated with an “A” grade.
- Although many hospitals achieved high safety marks, others still fall into lower grade categories (C or D), indicating room for improvement.
These results indicate that while Connecticut has many top-performing hospitals, there remains variation in safety across the state.
Why These Grades Matter
Knowing how your hospital performs on safety metrics matters for several reasons:
- Higher grades = fewer avoidable errors. Hospitals with an “A” grade have demonstrated better performance on infection prevention, surgical safety, and staff communication.
- Transparency fosters accountability. Hospitals that report data and accept independent evaluation show commitment to patient safety.
- Grades help patients ask the right questions. For hospitals with lower grades (C, D or F), you may want to ask about staffing, safety initiatives, and corrective actions.
- Grades are one tool among many. Safety grade is essential, but you should also consider specialties, reputation, insurance, convenience, and your specific care needs.
Connecticut Leapfrog Hospital Rankings
Hospitals in Connecticut continued to perform well, but there were some shifts between Spring 2025 and Fall 2025. While the overall safety levels remained high, the number of hospitals earning the top Grade Straight A—Leapfrog’s highest rating for excellence in patient safety—remained steady.
Hospitals with a Grade Straight A have demonstrated exceptional performance across multiple safety measures, including preventing medical errors, reducing infections, and ensuring surgical safety. A few facilities saw slight changes in their letter grades, reflecting minor improvements or areas needing attention. Here is a comprehensive list of how each Connecticut hospital ranked in Fall 2025:
Grade Straight A
- Hartford Hospital — Hartford
- Middlesex Hospital — Middletown
- MidState Medical Center — Meriden
- St. Vincent's Medical Center — Bridgeport
- The Hospital of Central Connecticut — New Britain
- The William W. Backus Hospital — Norwich
- University of Connecticut Health Center, John Dempsey Hospital — Farmington
- Windham Community Memorial Hospital — Willimantic
Grade A
- Danbury Hospital — Danbury
- Greenwich Hospital — Greenwich
- Griffin Hospital — Derby
- Johnson Memorial Hospital — Stafford Springs
- Saint Mary's Hospital — Waterbury
- Sharon Hospital — Sharon
Grade B
- Bridgeport Hospital — Bridgeport
- Charlotte Hungerford Hospital — Torrington
- New Milford Hospital — New Milford
- Norwalk Hospital — Norwalk
- Stamford Health — Stamford
Grade C
- Bridgeport Hospital Milford Campus — Milford
- Bristol Health — Bristol
- Lawrence & Memorial Hospital — New London
- Manchester Memorial Hospital — Manchester
- St. Francis Hospital & Medical Center — Hartford
- Waterbury Hospital — Waterbury
- Yale New Haven Hospital - Saint Raphael Campus — New Haven
- Yale-New Haven Hospital — New Haven
Grade D
- Day Kimball Hospital — Putnam
Jacobs & Wallace, PLLC – Connecticut Medical Malpractice Attorneys
If you or someone you love has been injured by medical negligence, you need an experienced law firm to represent you. At the law firm of Jacobs & Wallace, PLLC, we have decades of experience fighting for the rights of injured patients in Connecticut. Please contact us today for a FREE case evaluation: 203‑332‑7700.
