Two Keck Medicine of USC hospitals earn ‘A’ Leapfrog hospital safety grade

Keck Hospital of USC and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital receive highest grade possible for quality and safety

2025-11-13

(Press-News.org) LOS ANGELES — Keck Hospital of USC and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital (USC-VHH) each earned a Fall 2025 “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit focused on patient safety. The hospitals are part of Keck Medicine of USC, the University of Southern California’s health system.

“This is the first time the health system has received two ‘A’s simultaneously, which is a huge accomplishment,” said Rod Hanners, CEO of Keck Medicine. “The Leapfrog Group grades hospitals on a set of very rigorous standards and this grade puts our hospitals among the safest in the country.”

Keck Hospital is a 343-bed acute care hospital providing specialized care. USC-VHH, a 140-bed community hospital, serves patients in the cities of Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge, as well as the surrounding Foothill communities of Southern California.

This is the 11th grade “A” for Keck Hospital since 2019.

“Every year, the Leapfrog grading criteria become more rigorous, and it is a tremendous honor for Keck Hospital to once again receive the highest safety grade possible,” said Stephanie Hall, MD, chief medical officer of Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes Keck Hospital. “We are committed to staying on the forefront of safety protocols and hospital procedures to ensure our patients receive the highest quality care possible.”

This is the second grade “A” USC-VHH has received in recent years.

“We are proud that our hard work maximizing safety standards has resulted in another grade ‘A,’” said Armand Dorian, MD, MMM, CEO of USC-VHH. “This grade recognizes the commitment shared by every care provider at the hospital to put patient safety first.”

The Leapfrog Group assigns an "A" through "F" grade to general hospitals across the country based on measures representing a hospital’s overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm.

The Leapfrog hospital grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

To see Keck Hospital and USC-VHH’s full Leapfrog grade details and access hospital safety tips for patients, please visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

Keck Medicine has received many national quality honors in recent years, including Keck Hospital being named a 2025 top performer by Vizient, Inc., which places the hospital among the top 12 hospitals in the country for excellence in delivering high-quality care.

“Keck Hospital’s Leapfrog grade ‘A’ award is once again a reflection of Keck Hospital’s commitment to pursuing the highest possible standards of care and is a testament to the effort our faculty and staff put in day in and day out to exemplify excellence,” said Marty Sargeant, MBA, CEO of Keck Medical Center.

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For more information about Keck Medicine of USC, please visit news.KeckMedicine.org. 

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