The Leapfrog Group on Tuesday released its 2020 Top Hospitals list, recognizing 105 hospitals for excellence in hospital quality, patient safety, and efficiency.

Just updated: How Leapfrog chooses its Top Hospitals

Methodology

For the list, Leapfrog sorts hospitals into five categories and compares hospitals with their peers. The five categories Leapfrog uses are:

• Children's hospitals;
• General hospitals;
• Large teaching hospitals (500 or more staffed beds);
• Small teaching hospitals (fewer than 500 staffed beds); and
• Rural hospitals.

To be eligible for recognition on the list, a hospital must:

• Comply with Leapfrog's never events policy;
• Meet Leapfrog's standard for computerized physician order entry;
• Meet Leapfrog's standard for ICU physician staffing;
• Receive an "A" on Leapfrog's most recent Safety Grade rating;
• Report on all 36 national performance measures considered by Leapfrog that are applicable to the hospital and meet Leapfrog's standards for at least 40% of those measures; and
• Satisfy the Top Hospital Selection Committee's qualitative review.

The Top Hospitals of 2020

Leapfrog recognized 82 Advisory Board members on this year's list. Those hospitals are listed below in alphabetical order by category and state. Click here to see Leapfrog's full 2020 Top Hospitals list.

Children's Hospitals

California

• Children's Hospital of Orange County
• Valley Children's Hospital

Florida

• Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida
• Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital
• Nemours Children's Hospital, Orlando

Pennsylvania

• UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

Texas

• Cook Children's Medical Center

Washington

• Mary Bridge Children's Hospital & Health Network

General Hospitals

California

• Temecula Valley Hospital

Colorado

• Centura Health Castle Rock Adventist Hospital
• Good Samaritan Medical Center

Connecticut

• The William W. Backus Hospital

Florida

• AdventHealth Altamonte Springs
• AdventHealth Apopka
• AdventHealth Kissimmee
• AdventHealth North Pinellas
• AdventHealth Sebring
• AdventHealth Zephyrhills

Kansas

• Kansas Surgery & Recovery Center

Massachusetts

• Holy Family Hospital at Merrimack Valley

Nevada

• Northern Nevada Medical Center

New Jersey

• Bayshore Medical Center

New York

• White Plains Hospital

Pennsylvania

• Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono

South Carolina

• Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge

Rhode Island

• Newport Hospital

Texas

• CHI St. Luke's Health The Woodlands Hospital
• CHI St. Luke's Health Lakeside Hospital

Virginia

• Augusta Health
• Inova Alexandria Hospital
• Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
• Inova Loudoun Hospital

Rural Hospitals

Colorado

• Centura Health-Mercy Regional Medical Center

Florida

• AdventHealth Wauchula

Georgia

• Floyd Polk Medical Center

Hawaii

• North Hawaii Community Hospital

Louisiana

• Our Lady of the Angels Hospital

Maine

• LincolnHealth
• Pen Bay Medical Center
• Stephens Memorial Hospital
• Waldo County General Hospital

Michigan

• ProMedica Bixby Hospital

Nebraska

• Great Plains Health

Oklahoma

• Mercy Hospital Ada

Texas

• Memorial Medical Center-San Augustine

Teaching hospitals

Arkansas

• Mercy Hospital Northwest Arkansas

California

• Loma Linda University Medical Center East Campus
• University of California Irvine Health

Colorado

• Centura Health-Penrose Hospital
• Centura Health-St. Francis Medical Center
• Longmont United Hospital

Connecticut

• MidState Medical Center

Florida

• AdventHealth East Orlando
• AdventHealth Orlando
• AdventHealth Tampa
• AdventHealth Winter Park
• Healthpark Medical Center
• Lee Memorial Hospital
• Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies

Georgia

• University Hospital

Illinois

• Rush University Medical Center

Massachusetts

• Berkshire Medical Center
• Brigham and Women's Hospital

Michigan

• Covenant Medical Center Harrison Campus

Missouri

• Mercy Hospital St. Louis

Nevada

• Henderson Hospital

New Jersey

• Saint Barnabas Medical Center

New Mexico

• Heart Hospital of New Mexico
• Lovelace Medical Center-Downtown

New York

• NYU Winthrop Hospital

North Carolina

• Rex Hospital Inc.

Ohio

• Summa Health, Barberton Campus

Pennsylvania

• Lancaster General Hospital
• WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital
• WellSpan Waynesboro Hospital

Tennessee

• Methodist Le Bonheur Germantown Hospital

Texas

• Ascension Seton Hays
• Ascension Seton Northwest
• UT Health North Campus Tyler

Virginia

• Carilion New River Valley Medical Center
• Winchester Medical Center

Washington

• Virginia Mason Medical Center

Leapfrog recognizes Pandemic Hero of the Year

In addition to its Top Hospitals list, Leapfrog on Monday announced its new "Pandemic Heroes Award." Leapfrog said the award recognizes "the heroes [who] have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to patient safety during the Covid-19 crisis." An interdisciplinary committee of Leapfrog leaders chose the honorees.

The committee chose Sergio Alvarez, an RN at Coral Gables Hospital in Miami, as the top honoree in the "individual heroes" category. According to Leapfrog, Alvarez "demonstrated a steadfast willingness to put the best interests and welfare of others above his own" by providing patients and families with his personal cell phone number, explaining test results carefully, and helping to "minimize fear and uncertainty."

The committee chose Englewood Health in Englewood, New Jersey, as the top honoree in the "teams of heroes" category. According to Leapfrog, the committee selected Englewood because of its "myriad approaches to communicating the importance of social distancing, partnering with first responders, making multiple daily calls to the families of patients, and supporting staff needs, including mental health support and financial assistance."

Click here for a full list of other individuals and organizations who received Leapfrog's "Special Recognition for Pandemic Heroism in 2020" (Leapfrog release, 12/8; Leapfrog Top Hospitals methodology, 12/8; Leapfrog list, 12/8).