Washington Regional Maintains Elite "Straight A" Status in Latest Hospital Safety Grades

• Published: 11/13/2025

Washington Regional earned an “A” Hospital Safety Grade, the highest grade possible, from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit watchdog focused on patient safety. This latest achievement maintains Washington Regional’s designation as a Straight A hospital, a recognition that is awarded to hospitals with sustained A grades for the last five or more grading rounds. Only 12% of all eligible hospitals achieve the Straight A designation. 
 
“Washington Regional’s multiple consecutive A grades demonstrate our dedication to patient safety,” said Washington Regional President and CEO Larry Shackelford. “As a community hospital, we are dedicated to providing nationally recognized, high quality care right here in Northwest Arkansas. This achievement would not be possible without the compassionate care delivered each day by our team members and their commitment to our patients.”  
 
The Leapfrog Group assigns an A, B, C, D or F grade to all general hospitals across the country based on over 30 measures of preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections. The grading system is peer-reviewed, and grades are updated in the fall and spring each year.

“My sincere congratulations Washington Regional for upholding patient safety standards through thick and thin, achieving an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “Consistently earning an A demonstrates a long-term, organization-wide commitment to putting patient safety first.”

To see how Washington Regional’s Leapfrog score and other quality measures compare to hospitals across Arkansas, visit wregional.com/quality.