FALLS CHURCH, Va.   –   Do you get health care at a military hospital or clinic? When you need care, patient safety should never be a concern. You deserve to know how well your military hospital or clinic protects you and your family from preventable harm.

Military hospitals consistently earn top safety ratings. It’s easy to view these scores yourself.

Last year, 15 military hospitals earned “A” grades from the Leapfrog Group. This means that 75% of participating Defense Health Agency hospitals earned top grades. This is far above the national average of 32%.

Some DHA hospitals didn’t see enough patients to qualify for Leapfrog grades last year. But DHA has strict safety standards at all military hospitals and clinics.

“Our military hospitals rank among the nation’s safest,” said Heidi King, chief of DHA’s Patient Safety Program. “Our healthcare teams work every day to protect patients from preventable harm and deliver excellent care.”

What is Leapfrog?

The Leapfrog Group is a national, independent organization focused on healthcare quality. Leapfrog uses up to 30 safety measures to grade hospitals. These measures include:

• Infection prevention
• Staffing
• Errors
• Injuries
• Home care instructions

These military hospitals earned “A” grades in fall 2024.

• 81st Medical Group, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi
• 673rd Medical Group, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
• Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center, Fort Belvoir, Virginia
• Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, Kentucky
• Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Cavazos, Texas
• Evans Army Community Hospital, Fort Carson, Colorado
• Martin Army Community Hospital, Fort Benning, Georgia
• Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
• Naval Hospital Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
• Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Virginia
• Naval Medical Center San Diego, San Diego, California
• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland
• William Beaumont Army Medical Center, Fort Bliss, Texas
• Womack Army Medical Center, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
• Wright-Patterson Medical Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio

DHA started working with Leapfrog to check hospital quality five years ago. It became the first federal health system to participate in the safety grade program. DHA expanded the program after success at Walter Reed.

How does the DHA work to keep you safe?

DHA has several programs to keep you safe. These programs include:

• Ready Reliable Care Safety Communication Bundle: Since 2022, all military hospitals have used the same safety communication tools. This means staff across military hospitals all follow the same safety steps. This bundle also makes it easier for staff to report concerns.
• Joint Patient Safety Reporting: DHA wants to know about all patient safety events. This includes “near misses.” Reporting these concerns helps staff review and address them quickly.

These programs and others work together to create safer care for you at military hospitals and clinics.

Want to check your military hospital’s safety record?

There are several ways to learn about your military hospital’s safety? Visit Health.mil’s Quality, Patient Safety, and Access Information page to see:

• Safety measures
• Care quality
• Wait times
• Patient satisfaction

You can compare up to three hospitals at once on this page.

You can also check out reports from the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission is an independent organization that accredits U.S. hospitals. The Joint Commission visits every U.S. hospital every three years. During these visits, experts check safety measures. These can range from hand washing to medication storage.

You can also check out the Annual Evaluation of the TRICARE Program. This report can help you learn more about patient safety statistics and improvement efforts. As detailed in the Fiscal Year 2024 report, this yearly evaluation covers:

• Care quality
• Patient safety records
• Patient satisfaction
• Wait times
• Healthcare costs

Patient safety outside military hospitals and clinics

Do you have Medicare and TRICARE For Life coverage? You can check the safety ratings of your Medicare providers. You can use the Medicare Care Compare tool to compare Medicare providers and facilities by:

• Overall star ratings
• Patient experiences
• Complications and safety events

Remember: Your engagement is key to building relationships with your providers. It also leads to safer care.

Patient Safety Awareness Week

DHA facilities will raise awareness about patient safety throughout March. The official Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 9–15.

This year’s theme is “Patient Safety is a Team Sport.” This theme highlights how patients are essential members of the care team. It also showcases and recognizes military hospitals and clinics for their commitment to patient safety.

Building relationships with your providers helps foster safer care. Be sure to tell your provider if you have any safety concerns while getting care.

Patient safety is key to improving health and building readiness. DHA is committed to excellent patient care. This means you can trust that military hospitals and clinics are always working to improve.