Iowa has placed near the bottom of a new national hospital safety ranking from the nonprofit LeapFrog Group, which evaluates patient safety performance twice a year. The fall 2025 results put Iowa 48th among all states, joining North Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming as states without a single hospital earning the top “A” grade.
LeapFrog analyzed 30 Iowa hospitals with enough public data available and scored them across 32 patient safety indicators. These measures cover areas such as infection control, surgical complications, communication with medical staff, and provider response times.
Iowa’s performance continues a pattern seen in previous release cycles, with the state consistently lacking any top-tier safety grades. Meanwhile, Utah led the nation this round, with 17 of its 28 evaluated hospitals earning an “A” and none scoring below a “C.”
In Iowa, CHI Health Mercy in Council Bluffs received the state’s highest grade with a “B.” Fifteen hospitals earned a “C,” eleven received a “D,” and three were given failing marks. The hospitals that received an “F” were Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, and UnityPoint Health Trinity Regional Medical Center in Fort Dodge.
LeapFrog notes that meaningful improvement in safety performance often begins with strong leadership and a commitment to adopting safer practices. The group encourages Iowans to review their local hospital’s detailed scores and talk with providers about steps being taken to improve problem areas. By examining where a hospital performs well and where it struggles—such as infection control—patients can better understand how facilities plan to strengthen their safety outcomes.
https://www.iowapublicradio.org/health/2025-11-14/iowa-hospital-safety-ranking
