12 Long Island hospitals score A grade for patient safety

Twelve Long Island hospitals, among 2,800 healthcare centers reviewed nationwide, scored an A grade for patient safety, according to a new report released on Wednesday.

A nonprofit watchdog organization, The Leapfrog Group, rated 23 Long Island hospitals based on how well they protected patients from accidents, infections and injuries. Six hospitals scored B, three scored C, Nassau University Medical Center received a D, and one was not assigned a grade, according to Leapfrog.

The ratings can help Long Islanders determine where to get care, said Elisabeth Benjamin, vice president for health initiatives at the Manhattan-based Community Service Society of New York.

"The No. 1 thing you want when you're looking at a hospital is to make sure that the quality of care, the standard of care [and] the safety of care is top notch," Benjamin said. "That's where Leapfrog's ratings really excel."

In Northwell Health’s network, Glen Cove Hospital, Huntington Hospital, Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, Plainview Hospital and Syosset Hospital all received A grades.

Also scoring A were St. Francis Hospital & Heart Center in Flower Hill Village, St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, St. Catherine of Siena Hospital in Smithtown and Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre in Catholic Health’s network.

Mercy Hospital’s score improved from a B in fall 2025 to an A this spring. It was the hospital’s first A grade, said Catholic Health’s president and CEO, Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy.

Also in Catholic Health’s network, Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip earned a C grade — the same score it got last fall. Saint Joseph Hospital in Plainedge earned a B grade, up from a C last fall.

"Our goal at Catholic health is to be the safest, highest quality health system in the region," O’Shaughnessy said. "We expect to improve."

In NYU Langone Health's network, NYU Langone Hospital–Suffolk maintained a B rating, and NYU Langone Hospital–Long Island maintained an A rating from fall 2025.

Washington, D.C.-based Leapfrog publishes its patient safety report in the spring and fall of each year, grading hospitals on an A to F scale. It relies on data from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and its own survey to evaluate hospitals on a handful of measures, including staffing, falls and hand hygiene.

Four Long Island hospitals rose in the rankings: Mercy Hospital, Mount Sinai South Nassau, St. Joseph Hospital and Syosset Hospital.

Another four hospitals scored lower grades this spring than they did last fall: Long Island Jewish Valley Stream, South Shore University Hospital and Stony Brook University Hospital all slipped one letter grade.

Peter Silver, chief quality officer and a senior vice president for Northwell Health, said the network had improved emergency wait times at Long Island Jewish Valley Stream and South Shore University Hospital, which both received B grades.

"We've worked on our efficiency metrics, to get patients out of the hospital sooner so patients can get out of the emergency room into their beds quicker," Silver said. 

NUMC also slipped in the ratings, dropping from a C last fall to a D this spring — the only Long Island hospital to receive a D grade from Leapfrog. 

Tom Stokes, the health network’s CEO, said Leapfrog’s grade "predates the current administration at Nassau University Medical Center," adding that his team has "taken decisive steps to strengthen patient safety, quality, and operational performance across the organization."

Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital did not receive a grade, but the hospital network plans to submit data for Leap Frog’s survey this fall, said Kim Mele, vice president of quality and regulatory affairs at Stony Brook Medicine.

Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and Stony Brook University Hospital both received C grades. Dr. Eric J. Morley, the chief quality officer for Stony Brook University Hospital, noted that other organizations, such as U.S. News & World Report, have given the network’s hospitals high marks.

"We are incredibly dedicated to improving patient safety, and we think we will see tremendous improvement," Morley said.