Valley Regional Medical Center has received the 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use to find a doctor or hospital. This award reflects Valley Regional Medical Center’s commitment to safe, patient-centered care and puts the organization in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for patient safety four consecutive years as a Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient.
In 2024, HCA Healthcare added to this work through a structured implementation of the National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety. Multidisciplinary teams of hospital leaders, physicians and frontline clinicians completed facility-level assessments of safety culture and patient safety systems and used that data to align local improvement efforts with enterprise goals, reinforce capability and sustain progress toward key safety priorities.
“Our patients’ safety is everyone’s responsibility within our facility,” said Joe Hernandez, CEO of Valley Regional Medical Center. “Constant communication and collaboration between directors of clinical and nonclinical departments ensures we provide a safe environment for our patients, our colleagues and our community.”
Valley Regional Medical Center’s achievement is based solely on what matters most: patient outcomes. To determine the national leaders in patient safety, Healthgrades evaluated risk-adjusted complication and mortality rates from approximately 4,500 hospitals nationwide across 13 patient safety indicators (PSIs), with each PSI representing a serious, preventable complication.
Healthgrades’ annual analysis revealed significant performance gaps between the nation’s highest- and lowest-achieving facilities, making it increasingly important for consumers to seek care at a hospital with top safety ratings. During the 2022-2024 study period, 167,228 preventable safety events occurred among Medicare patients at U.S. hospitals, with four PSIs accounting for nearly 78% of all incidents. Patients treated at Valley Regional Medical Center and other award-winning facilities had a profoundly lower risk of experiencing these leading complications:
- In-hospital fall resulting in fracture (52.4% less likely)
- Collapsed lung due to a procedure in or around the chest (57.5% less likely)
- Catheter-related bloodstream infections acquired in the hospital (67.8% less likely)
- Pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital (71.9% less likely)
“The data behind this year’s Patient Safety Excellence Award highlights how measurable improvements in safety can prevent thousands of complications,” said Dr. Alana Biggers, MPH, medical advisor at Healthgrades. “By prioritizing evidence-based safety practices, Valley Regional Medical Center is achieving better clinical outcomes and cultivating a culture where patients come first.”
Where you’re treated matters, which is why Healthgrades is committed to providing the most scientifically accurate information about doctors and hospitals — with data insights not available anywhere else. For additional guidance on finding safe, high-quality care in 2026, visit the Healthgrades website.
*Statistics are calculated from Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award Methodology, which is based primarily on AHRQ technical specifications (Version 2025.0.1) to MedPAR data from approximately 4,500 hospitals for years 2022 through 2024 and represent three-year estimates for Medicare patients only.