Hospital earns 13th Consecutive Patient Safety Excellence Award
LA PALMA, Calif. – March 12, 2026 – La Palma Intercommunity Hospital, a member of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, announced today that it has achieved the 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ from Healthgrades, a national patient safety ratings organization that honors hospitals with the fewest safety-related events among Medicare patients.
This award reflects La Palma Intercommunity Hospital’s commitment to safe, patient-centered care and places the organization among the top 5% of hospitals nationwide for patient safety for the second consecutive year.
“The fact that La Palma Intercommunity Hospital has earned this honor every year since 2014 confirms our culture of care and accountability,” said Ayman Mousa, CEO. “It is important that we thank the patients and families in our community who choose La Palma Intercommunity Hospital for their care. Their trust in us as their hospital of choice is informed by these recognitions, which reflect the discipline and compassionate care that our clinical teams bring for every patient, every day.”
Additionally, La Palma Intercommunity Hospital earned Healthgrades’ Five-Star ratings for:
- Hip Fracture Treatment (13 consecutive years)
- Gallbladder Removal Surgery (6 consecutive years)
- Treatment of Heart Attack (2 consecutive years)
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital’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 La Palma Intercommunity Hospital had a significantly lower risk of experiencing leading complications from preventable safety events.
“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, La Palma Intercommunity 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 La Palma Intercommunity Hospital
La Palma Intercommunity Hospital is a 127-bed, not for profit, acute-care community hospital, and member of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity. Services include 24-hour emergency care, behavioral health services, surgical services, comprehensive care for joint replacement, respiratory therapy, and clinical lab services. Recognized by Healthgrades as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals 17 times in 5 different clinical categories since 2014, patients treated at La Palma Intercommunity Hospital benefit from the expertise of a large hospital system in a smaller, more personal setting. Learn more at lapalmaintercommunityhospital.com.
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.
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