UNC Health Nash Earns “A” Grade for Patient Safety from The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit organization that collects and reports hospital performance data each year, recently released its Fall 2025 scores, and UNC Health Nash received an “A” grade.
“This A grade reflects the collective commitment of our entire UNC Nash team to continually enhance the safety and quality of the care we provide,” said Dr. L. Lee Isley, president & CEO of UNC Health Nash. “The strides we’ve made in reducing hospital-acquired infections and strengthening patient communication are the result of focused teamwork and a shared determination to serve our community with excellence.”
The Leapfrog A grade is the latest achievement in recent accolades related to the quality of care provided by the hospital. In the last year, UNC Health Nash has earned the Pathway to Excellence designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center—one of just 10 hospitals in North Carolina to do so—and has also been recognized as “High Performing” by U.S. News & World Report in Heart Attack, Heart Failure, Stroke, and Maternity Care. UNC Health Nash has also been recognized by the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) as a Center of Excellence in Surgical Safety: Prevention of Retained Surgical Items (RSI).
According to the data used for the Fall 2025 Leapfrog score, UNC Health Nash demonstrated substantial improvement in several key patient-safety measures. The hospital showed better-than-national-mean performance in all 12 Process Measures and four of ten Outcome Measures, with notable gains in catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), Clostridioides difficile (C. diff), and patient ratings of staff communication compared with the prior reporting period. These improvements—based largely on performance years 2023 through 2024, with select CMS measures from 2021–2023—reflect UNC Nash’s focused investment in infection-prevention protocols, staff engagement, and continuous performance review.
Survey results are used to educate consumers about the quality and safety of hospitals in their community. The Leapfrog Group states hospitals that voluntarily submit their data to the Leapfrog Hospital Survey are to be commended for their commitment to transparency and educating their patients about the quality and safety of the care they provide.
“Our progress reflects the dedication of our medical and clinical staff, whose expertise and vigilance drive better outcomes for our patients every day,” said Dr. Isley. “It also speaks to the commitment of our support teams, who uphold our quality standards across every area of care. Together—with the strategic guidance of our Board of Commissioners—we’ve transformed that shared commitment into measurable improvement and continued trust from our community.”
