Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center has received its first Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade “A” in Spring 2026.
The hospital’s processes to ensure hospital safety often go unseen. But patients experience their impact every time they receive care.
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization, assigns letter grades to hospitals across the country based on patient safety. The grades reflect how well hospitals prevent medical errors, injuries and infections.
An “A” is the highest grade that Leapfrog awards to a hospital. For our community, the A grade reflects a years-long journey of process improvement and our strong commitment to keeping patients safe at every step of their care.
With Shady Grove Medical Center's recognition, all acute-care hospitals in the Adventist HealthCare system have earned Leapfrog “A” grades, reflecting a shared focus on safety across the organization.
What the Leapfrog “A” Measures
Leapfrog’s Safety Grade is based on publicly reported data and national performance measures. It evaluates how effectively hospitals protect patients from preventable harm.
That includes everything from infection prevention and medication safety to surgical protocols, error prevention systems and leadership practices that support a culture of safety.
This is not a satisfaction survey or a reputation score. It is a data-driven assessment of how well a hospital safeguards patients.
What This Means for Patients and Families
When you enter a hospital, you are placing trust in the people caring for you.
Shady Grove Medical Center’s “A” grade reflects the diligence of our team members in adhering to practices that protect patients every day, including:
- Carefully reviewing and double-checking medication
- Following structured safety protocols before every surgical procedure
- Consistently applying Infection prevention practices
- Communicating clearly and speaking up when something does not look right
- Using strict, standardized processes for cleaning rooms and equipment
Many of these safeguards happen away from patients, but teams constantly work on them in the background to reduce risk and prevent harm.
For example, before a procedure begins, care teams pause to confirm the patient’s identity, their procedure and other key details together. It is a simple step, but one that helps prevent errors and keeps patients safe. Medications are scanned to ensure the right patient receives the right dose at the right time. And even small actions, like cleaning hands before entering a room, play a critical role in preventing infection.
For families in Montgomery County and the surrounding region, this means care supported by strong safety protocols that the hospital continuously monitors and improves.
While national recognition from Leapfrog is the culmination of hard work by our care teams, its impact is visible in many other ways, throughout Shady Grove Medical Center’s unit and statewide achievements. For instance:
- In our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, which has gone an incredible 88 months, or more than seven years, without a central-line bloodstream infection.
- In our Intensive Care Unit, which eliminated hospital-acquired pressure injuries in three common sites on the body in 2024 and 2025.
- In Maryland’s data on prevention of hospital-acquired conditions, where Shady Grove consistently ranks at or near No. 1.
What This Means for Shady Grove
Receiving our first Leapfrog “A” is both a milestone and a responsibility.
“This recognition reflects the dedication of our entire team to creating a culture where safety comes first,” said Cheri Hahn, director of quality and patient safety at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center. “From bedside caregivers to support services, every role contributes to protecting our patients. We are proud of this achievement, and we remain committed to continuously improving the care we provide.”
Patient safety is not a one-time accomplishment. It requires vigilance, collaboration and accountability across every department and every shift.
This recognition affirms that our years of dedication to patient safety is paying off for our patients. It also reinforces the work and our desire to keep getting better.
For us, safety is not defined by a single grade. It is built through consistent, careful decisions made throughout every patient’s experience.
Because behind every safety measure is a person. A parent. A neighbor. A child.
And protecting them is work that never stops.
