Atrium Health leads North Carolina with 10 “A” ratings in hospital safety report
The organization ranks among the top in the nation for patient safety by The Leapfrog Group
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 6, 2026 — As 10 of its hospitals receive “A” grades for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, Atrium Health leads the state with the most top grades of any health system.
The news comes as The Leapfrog Group releases its Spring 2026 patient safety report card, announcing the following Atrium Health hospitals as “A” grade earners:
- Atrium Health Cleveland
- Atrium Health Cabarrus
- Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center
- Atrium Health Lincoln
- Atrium Health Kings Mountain
- Atrium Health Mercy
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Health Wilkes Medical Center
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Davie Medical Center
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist High Point Medical Center
- Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Lexington Medical Center
Evaluating nearly 3,000 general hospitals across the country twice each year, The Leapfrog Group utilizes 22 evidence-based measures of patient safety to assign an “A”, “B”, “C”, “D” or “F” grade. Analysts take into consideration errors, accidents, injuries, infections and systems hospitals have in place to prevent them.
“We are honored to be recognized for our commitment to patient safety — the very foundation of everything we do as an organization,” said Steve Smoot, president of Advocate Health’s North Carolina and Georgia Division, which includes the entire Atrium Health footprint. “Our teammates and clinicians walk through the doors of our sites each day passionate about delivering exceptional care and continuously strengthening the practices that help keep patients safe.”
Atrium Health is part of Charlotte-based Advocate Health, the nation's third-largest nonprofit integrated health system. In total, Advocate Health hospitals received 26 “A” ratings on the Leapfrog Spring 2026 patient safety report card, the highest number of top grades ever received by the health system.
“This recognition from The Leapfrog Group is a testament to our team’s relentless prioritization of patient safety,” said Dr. Scott Rissmiller, senior executive vice president and chief clinical officer for Advocate Health. “Together, we are advancing safety measures, providing outstanding service and reimagining care for the communities we serve.”
About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is advancing clinical care and research across the communities it serves by redefining care for all. The care network is anchored by Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, an academic medical center in Charlotte that includes Levine Children’s Hospital, Levine Cancer Institute and Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, along with 11 hospitals, more than 900 care locations and over 1,400 physicians serving communities across the greater Charlotte region. It is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States. Advocate Health is a preeminent academic health system at the forefront of clinical excellence, innovation and research, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as its academic core. Nationally recognized for expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, Advocate Health is also a pioneer in the delivery of virtual health care. It’s accelerating discovery by making research participation part of the standard-of-care through its one-of-a-kind National Center for Clinical Trials. Advocate Health has one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs, with an experiential learning focus and specialized residencies to help protect the long-term sustainability of rural health care in America. Each campus of the school of medicine has an affiliated life-sciences focused innovation district: The Pearl, in Charlotte, and Innovation Quarter, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With more than 165,000 teammates serving patients at 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations across eight states, Advocate Health reinvests over $6 billion each year to improve community health, making it one of the nation’s largest providers of community benefit.