MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center Awarded Patient Safety Excellence Award from Healthgrades for Third Year in a Row

MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center announced today that it has been recognized as a 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ recipient by Healthgrades, the No. 1 site Americans use when searching for a doctor or hospital. This distinction places Saddleback Medical Center among the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for patient safety and marks the third consecutive year the organization has earned this prestigious recognition.

"We are incredibly proud to be recognized among the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for patient safety. This recognition reflects not only our team's unwavering commitment to patient safety, but also the compassion and care they bring to every interaction. We are deeply committed to caring for the community we serve, and we strive to treat every patient who walks through our doors with the same attention, respect, and kindness we would want for our own family members."

- Brandi Cassingham, RN, MSN, chief nursing officer, MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center.

Saddleback Medical Center's achievements are based on what matters most: patient outcomes. To evaluate hospital patient safety, Healthgrades analyzed risk-adjusted complication and mortality rates using Medicare inpatient data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Patient Safety Indicators. Hospitals were assessed across 14 serious, potentially preventable complications over a three-year period (2021-2023), with award recipients demonstrating superior performance compared to expected outcomes.

Healthgrades' analysis revealed significant performance gaps between the nation's highest- and lowest-performing hospitals, underscoring the importance of seeking care at hospitals with proven safety records. From 2021 to 2023, 173,280 preventable patient safety events occurred among Medicare patients in U.S. hospitals, with four patient safety indicators accounting for nearly 76% of these incidents.

The annual study found that patients treated in hospitals that received the Patient Safety Excellence Award™ experienced significantly better outcomes than those treated at non-recipient hospitals, including a lower likelihood of:

• In-hospital falls resulting in fracture (54% less likely)
• Collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest (approximately 55% less likely)
• Pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital (approximately 69% less likely)
• Catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital (72% less likely)

"As a 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient, Saddleback Medical Center consistently puts the well-being of their patients and staff at the forefront, setting a high standard for patient safety nationwide. We commend Saddleback Medical Center for providing consistently exceptional care while preventing serious injuries, giving patients their best chance of a seamless recovery."

- Debra Gradick, MD FACEP, senior physician consultant at Healthgrades.

In addition to this recognition for patient safety, MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center was recently named one of America's 250 Best Hospitals® for overall clinical care and has received numerous accolades for excellence in key service areas, including cardiology, gastroenterology, orthopedics and pulmonary care. Together, these honors reflect the organization's ongoing commitment to delivering compassionate, individualized care at every step of the patient's journey.