Watertown Regional Medical Center Earns ‘A’ Grade for Hospital Safety from Leapfrog Group
May 1, 2025
The grade, awarded for Spring 2025, is Leapfrog’s highest national recognition for patient safety. It’s the second consecutive grading period WRMC has earned the top grade.
WATERTOWN, WI (May 1, 2025) – Watertown Regional Medical Center received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit group that sets standards for excellence in patient safety and care. This grade represents the eighth “A” earned by Watertown Regional Medical Center in the last 11 Leapfrog grading periods. Watertown Regional was one of 17 hospitals in Wisconsin to earn the top grade in Leapfrog’s Spring 2025 ratings release.
Leapfrog assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries, and infections, as well as the systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. Fewer than one-third of the approximately 3,000 hospitals reviewed nationwide earn Leapfrog’s “A” grade.
“Getting an ‘A’ in anything is always a good feeling, but when the top grade is for patient safety at your hospital, it is an especially welcome result,” said Richard Keddington, CEO of Watertown Regional Medical Center. “Our team works diligently to create and maintain the safest environment possible for patient care, and it shows in so many ways, from awards like these to positive patient reviews to the ‘thank yous’ we receive at discharge. We feel privileged to provide care for those who come through our doors and appreciate the community’s support and confidence in our hospital.”
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade stands as the only hospital ratings program focused solely on preventable medical errors, infections, and injuries that kill more than 500 patients a day in the United States. This program is peer-reviewed, fully transparent, and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
“Achieving an ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade reflects enormous dedication to patient safety,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I extend my congratulations to Watertown Regional Medical Center, its leadership, clinicians, staff, and volunteers for creating a culture where patients come first.”
The Leapfrog honor continues the string of positive recognition at Watertown Regional. In April, Watertown Regional received Healthgrades 2025 Patient Safety Excellence Award. In November, the hospital earned a Leapfrog A during its Fall 2024 ratings and Healthgrades’ 2025 Specialty Excellence Award for Joint Replacement. In October, Christine “Chris” Kelsey, RN, a MedSurg nurse at Watertown Regional Medical Center, was honored as one of only two recipients nationally of ScionHealth’s 2024 Monarch Caring and Community Award ‒ the highest annual honor the parent company presents to healthcare professionals who work in its 85 specialty and community hospitals.
“These awards encourage everyone who works here and validate their hard work,” said Keddington. “Our focus is providing the best patient outcomes and experiences in the safest environment possible. Recognition is great but ask any of our healthcare professionals – the best reward is watching patients leave our hospital in much better health than when they arrived.”
To see the Leapfrog safety grades of Watertown Regional and other local hospitals, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and search by city/state or zip code.
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About Watertown Regional Medical Center
Watertown Regional Medical Center (WRMC) has been providing the residents of Dodge and Jefferson counties in southeast Wisconsin with excellent healthcare for over 115 years. By placing patients’ needs first, services have grown to include Emergency, Primary Care, Women’s Health, Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Heart and Vascular, Neurology, Pulmonology, Ophthalmology, and many other services. Watertown Regional Medical Center is a joint venture between the Greater Watertown Community Health Foundation and ScionHealth. For more information and to see a complete list of the services offered, visit www.watertownregional.com.
About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps for patient safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog's other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.