Leapfrog names top hospitals; See which urban, rural, children's facilities earned high marks

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The Leapfrog Group on Wednesday announced its top hospitals, celebrating 98 facilities for what they determined was excellence in quality of care and patient safety.

The results are gleaned by the the consultant's annual survey, which asks hospitals to share metrics tied to safety and quality benchmarks.

Out of the 98 facilities honored, 12 were children's hospitals, 24 were rural hospitals and 63 were urban hospitals, Leapfrog said.

[Also: See which hospitals earned an 'A' in the Fall 2015 Leapfrog safety ratings]

According to the group, California, Massachusetts and Maine continues to boast the most top hospitals, joined by New Hampshire and Utah, which for the first time saw top hospitals.

"We're honored to recognize hospitals that showcase the best of American health care. It takes leadership, teamwork and absolute dedication to patients to achieve this award," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, in a statement. "We are also proud of all the hospitals that volunteer to publicly report to Leapfrog, and we've seen amazing growth and improvements in those hospitals. By setting Leapfrog's tough standards as a goal and publicly reporting their progress, they are earning the trust of their communities."

The top hospitals program is an annual award. Leapfrog also runs a Hospital Safety Score program that it updates twice a year, grading facilities from 'A' to 'F' on their patient safety metrics.

[Also: See which hospitals scored an 'F' in the Leapfrog Group's Fall 2015 safety ratings]

Here is the full list of Leapfrog Top Hospitals. We have also included the facilities star rating score by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a comparison where applicable. CMS star ratings, however, are based on patient experience, gleaned from patient survey responses.

Twitter: @HenryPowderly