MD's Safest Hospitals Revealed In New Report

MARYLAND — Five Maryland hospitals were among hundreds across the country recently recognized for safety and patient experience by Healthgrades, a comprehensive database of ratings and comparisons for physicians, hospitals and health care providers.

Healthgrades’ 2025 Patient Safety Excellence Awards recognize 442 hospitals in 40 states that represent the top 10 percent of hospitals nationwide for hospital safety, including the prevention of serious infections.

These Maryland hospitals earned Patient Safety Excellence Awards:

• Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (Annapolis)
• MedStar St. Mary's Hospital (Leonardtown)
• Union Hospital of Cecil County (Elkton)
• University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center (La Plata)
• University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center (Towson)

This is the first year that St. Mary's Hospital and Charles Regional Medical Center were honored.

Anne Arundel Medical Center has earned the award each year since 2023.

“At Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, we maintain the highest standards to ensure the well-being and safety of every patient,” hospital President Sherry Perkins told Patch in a Wednesday statement. “Being recognized for three consecutive years as one of the best hospitals for patient safety is a testament to our dedicated healthcare team, rigorous safety protocols, and commitment to compassionate, patient-centered care.”

Union Hospital of Cecil County received the honor in 2023 and 2025. St. Joseph Medical Center was awarded this year and last.

“Our patients’ safety is our sacred responsibility,” Dr. Thomas B. Smyth, president and CEO of UM St. Joseph Medical Center, said in a Tuesday press release. “We owe it to our community to remain vigilantly focused on consistently providing safe and effective care and we are grateful and proud to receive national recognition for these ongoing efforts.”

If all hospitals performed at a similar level in the prevention of serious injuries and illnesses, about 100,900 patient safety events could have been avoided from 2021 to 2023, Healthgrades said in a news release.

To develop the list, Healthgrades’ data scientists and clinical experts analyze Medicare claims for hospitalizations across 13 patient safety indicators, each representing a serious, potentially preventable complication.

The analysis found that four of these complications accounted for nearly 76 percent of all patient safety events between 2021 and 2023, and that patients treated at a 2025 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospital have a lower risk of experiencing each of these adverse events:

• In-hospital fall resulting in fracture (54 percent less likely);
• Collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest (54.8 percent less likely);
• Pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital (69.4 percent less likely);
• Catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital (72 percent less likely).