Walter Reed, Other Military Hospitals Get 'A' Grade for Patient Care

The Defense Health Agency announced May 6 that Walter Reed National Military Medical Center earned a Leapfrog "A" hospital safety grade for spring 2026.

Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit organization, evaluates hospitals nationwide on safety and prevention measures, including those concerning errors, injuries and infections. It assigns participating facilities grades from A to F twice a year, in the fall and spring. This marks the fifth consecutive six-month cycle that the medical center in Bethesda, Maryland, has earned a top score.

Walter Reed was one of 15 military hospitals to earn an A grade, and one of only three to earn consecutive A grades over the past five cycles. The grades are indicative of Walter Reed's readiness and commitment to safety and quality care.

Also receiving A grades for the past five consecutive cycles were:

• Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, Texas
• William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, Texas

The other 12 military hospitals to earn an A grade this cycle were:

• Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
• Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky
• Brooke Army Medical Center, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston, Texas
• Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center, Fort Gordon, Georgia
• Keesler Medical Center, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi
• Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington
• Mike O'Callaghan Military Medical Center, Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
• Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida
• Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
• Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Virginia
• U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa, Marine Corps Base Camp Foster, Okinawa, Japan
• Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

During its recent evaluation, Walter Reed scored above average in preventing MRSA and sepsis.

"Staph bacteria are common in hospitals, but MRSA is a type of staph bacteria that is resistant to [and cannot be killed by] many antibiotics. MRSA can be found in bed linens or medical equipment and can spread if providers do not properly wash their hands between patients. MRSA can cause life-threatening bloodstream infections, pneumonia and surgical site infections," a Leapfrog official explained.

Walter Reed maintains a rigorous, high-scoring hand hygiene program focused on preventing infections through constant monitoring, compliance feedback and staff education, said Bernadette Naquin, a Directorate for Quality registered nurse at Walter Reed.

The medical center scored higher than average in preventing "problems with surgery," which included ensuring proper surgical stitch closure and preventing kidney failure and serious breathing problems following surgery.

It also scored higher than average in preventing "harmful events" and "air or gas bubbles in the blood."

"Patients can experience complications and potentially harmful events following a surgery, a procedure or childbirth. When all of these errors are examined together, it gives a better picture of a hospital's ability to keep its patients safe," the Leapfrog official said.

Leapfrog evaluated Walter Reed staff for safe medication administration, handwashing practices, communication about medicines and discharge, and teamwork to prevent errors.

The medical center uses a barcode medication administration system to reduce the risk of medication error - both the patient and the medications are scanned to ensure the patient receives the correct medications. Leapfrog also measured patient feedback regarding how often hospital staff explained the purpose of new medicines and their potential side effects, noting that patient perspectives of care are an important part of patient safety.

"Effective communication about medicine prevents misunderstandings that could lead to serious problems for a patient," the Leapfrog official said.

Regarding patient discharge, the final report summarized how well the hospital staff communicated with patients about the help they would need at home after leaving the hospital.

The measure also summarizes how often patients reported that they were given written information about symptoms or health problems to watch for during their recovery.

"Educating patients on the steps they need to take during their recovery at home reduces the chances that a patient will need to be readmitted to the hospital," the Leapfrog official said.

In January, Walter Reed was one of 15 DHA facilities to earn top marks from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for how well they prepare patients to leave the hospital, according to an analysis by Becker's Hospital Review.

The report identified the 15 military hospitals and clinics that received a five-star rating for "care transitions" from CMS, reflecting how patients judged their discharge planning and follow-up instructions after an inpatient stay - a critical time in the patient care journey, said Dr. Paul Cordts, DHA deputy assistant director for medical affairs.

"A five-star CMS rating in care transitions shows our teams exceed national benchmarks during one of the most risk-prone moments in care," Cordts said, noting that strong care coordination, teamwork and patient-centered discharge planning led to the recognition.

The Leapfrog official said a hospital with a strong culture of safety has a well-functioning team with good leaders who catch errors before they harm patients.

"Patients are less likely to experience mistakes if [the] hospital staff works together. Staff should also be comfortable speaking up when they sense an error might happen," the official added.

Naquin said Walter Reed's patient safety program supports readiness by working to ensure it has both a ready medical force and a medically ready force.

"We do this by following the principles of high reliability to work to achieve top outcomes despite operating in a complex, high-risk environment. This work includes improving standardization and reducing variability, mitigating errors to achieve zero harm, celebrating transparency and accountability and valuing the contributions of all individuals, regardless of rank."

She also emphasized the "good catch program," which highlights staff members who caught and stopped an unsafe condition before it reached the patient.

"We also recognize staff who have shown a commitment to safety and improvement with Ready Reliable Care Champion awards. We have a robust team of infection prevention nurses and a falls champions committee that works to implement evidence-based practices in the hospital to prevent [patient falls]," she added.

Naquin said that patient safety is not a solitary endeavor, rather it is a commitment needed by the entire Walter Reed team - staff, patients and their families - contributing every day.

"These hospital safety grades highlight [DHA's] core commitment to safe, high-quality medical care for our patients," Cordts said. "When our military hospitals achieve high standards like these, they also show they are equipped to both sustain the skills of our uniformed medical providers and ensure the overall health of our uniformed service members."

Leapfrog grades are determined by a public, peer-reviewed methodology, calculated by top patient safety experts under the guidance of a national expert panel. The grading system is available at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.

David Vergun, Pentagon News, contributed to this story.