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U.S. News and World Report identified six hospitals as Best Regional Hospitals in the Raleigh area.
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Best Regional Hospitals are general hospitals that have achieved at least eight high performing ratings across the 23 measured procedures and conditions, as well as maternity care. Just over 500 hospitals were recognized, including 20 in North Carolina.
More than 500 hospitals were recognized, including 20 in North Carolina.
Top hospitals are ranked 1 through 50 by specialty, and hospitals that aren’t in the top 50 but are above average in a specialty are labeled high performing. Duke University Hospital in Durham is ranked in eight specialties, and WakeMed Raleigh Campus is ranked in one.
But how does this ranking compare to scores from Leapfrog, a watchdog organization that grades hospitals on safety?
Leapfrog’s Hospital Safety Grades are assigned twice a year, in the spring and fall. The Hospital Safety Grade program was established in 2012.
Grades are assigned using letters, with A as the best grade and F as the worst. The grades are assigned using data from various public sources, including the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Here are the spring 2026 Leapfrog scores for the top six hospitals in the Raleigh region, according to the U.S. News and World Report:
Two hospitals — Duke University Hospital and WakeMed Raleigh Campus — were labeled “Straight A” hospitals, meaning they received an A ranking in at least three seasons of Leapfrog scores.
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Two received an A grade this spring:
Two on U.S. News’ list received a B grade:
UNC Rex Hospital scored below average on harmful events, dangerous bed sores and collapsed lung. WakeMed Cary Hospital scored below average on MRSA infection, dangerous object left in patient body, harmful events and dangerous bed sores. Both hospitals scored better than average on most practices to prevent errors (including handwashing and safe medication administration) and doctors, nurses and hospital staff (including communication with nurses and staff responsiveness).
Note: A Florida judge recently ordered Leapfrog to scrub poor patient safety grades for several Florida hospitals, The Miami Herald reported. The judge described the methodology as misleading, and “punitive” for healthcare systems that choose not to participate.
U.S. News and World Report uses data from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, professional organizations, medical specialists and other sources to construct the rankings. Methodology has been tweaked over the years since the organization first started ranking hospitals in 1990.
U.S. News and World Report offers a search tool to seek out hospital rankings in your area. Prospective patients can also compare up to five hospitals side by side to see how they measure up.
In a video explaining how to use the hospital safety grades, Leapfrog recommends using them to inform your decision when researching hospitals near you. Leapfrog offers a search tool on the homepage at hospitalsafetygrade.org. Hospitals are searchable by hospital name, city and state, just state or ZIP code.
Portions of this story were previously published in the Charlotte Observer.
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