Dignity Health Greater Sacramento

03/10/2026 | Press release | Archived content

Dignity Health Methodist Hospital of Sacramento Achieves 2026 Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award Second Year in a Row

SACRAMENTO, CA, March 10, 2026 - Dignity Health Methodist Hospital of Sacramento announced today that it has achieved the 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades, the #1 site Americans use to find a doctor or hospital. This award reflects Methodist Hospital's commitment to safe, patient-centered care and puts the organization in the top 10% of hospitals nationwide for patient safety for a second year in a row.

Alongside this national recognition for patient safety, Methodist Hospital was recipient of numerous accolades based on its exceptional performance in key service areas. In cardiac care, the hospital earned Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Failure for two years in a row (2025-2026). In critical care, it was recognized as a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Sepsis (2026). These achievements further underscore the organization's commitment to delivering compassionate, individualized care at every step of the patient journey.

"We are immensely proud of these significant Healthgrades achievements, including our ongoing national recognition for patient safety, Five-Star ratings for Heart Failure and Sepsis, and the 2025 Patient Safety Excellence Award," said Phyllis Baltz, President and CEO of Dignity Health Methodist Hospital of Sacramento. "These honors signify our team's steadfast focus on delivering outstanding outcomes and an exceptional care experience. It's truly a testament to the dedication of our entire staff in making patient safety and quality our top priorities."

Methodist Hospital of Sacramento'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 Methodist Hospitall 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, Dignity Health Woodland Memorial Hospital 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 healthgrades.com.

*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.

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About Dignity Health California

Dignity Health California is a nonprofit network of over 9000 physicians, more than 35,000 employees, 29 acute care hospitals, and 200-plus care-centers, including community hospitals, urgent care, surgery and imaging centers, home health, and primary care clinics. Dignity Health California provides award-winning care to communities in five primary markets across the state: North State, Sacramento, Central Valley, Central Coast, and Southern California.

Dignity Health is a member of CommonSpirit Health, one of the nation's largest nonprofit Catholic healthcare organizations, dedicated to providing compassionate, high-quality, and affordable patient-centered care with special attention to the poor and underserved. Learn more at DignityHealth.org and CommonSpirit.org.

About Healthgrades

Healthgrades is dedicated to empowering meaningful connections between patients, doctors, and hospitals. As the #1 platform for finding a doctor and a leader in healthcare transparency, we help millions of consumers each month find and schedule appointments with their healthcare professional of choice and prepare for their appointments with best-in-class, treatment-focused content.

For over 20 years, our health system, group practice, and life sciences marketing solutions have helped our partners reach and engage consumers on their way to the doctor.

Healthgrades is part of RVO Health, the largest consumer health and wellness platform. RVOH's audience across its brand portfolio, including Healthgrades, Healthline, Medical News Today, Greatist, Psych Central, and Bezzy, touches every part of the health and wellness journey. RVO Health helps more than 70 million unique visitors live their strongest and healthiest lives each month.

Dignity Health Greater Sacramento published this content on March 10, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 12, 2026 at 14:15 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]