These are the safest hospitals in Maryland and Virginia: report

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Undergoing any medical treatment can be a scary experience, but hundreds of hospitals across the country have just been recognized for keeping patients safe.

What we know:

Healthgrades' 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Awards named 438 hospitals in 40 states that rank among the top 10% nationwide for patient safety.

Five hospitals in Maryland and 18 hospitals in Virginia were recognized, while no hospitals in the District of Columbia made the list. These are the safest hospitals in the Washington, D.C., area, according to the report:

Virginia

• Inova Alexandria Hospital
• Inova Mount Vernon Hospital
• Reston Hospital Center
• Inova Loudoun Hospital
• Inova Fair Oaks Hospital
• Stonesprings Hospital Center

Maryland

• MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital
• Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center
• University of MD Charles Regional Medical Center

The full list of hospitals can be found here.

Dig deeper:

The hospitals that received this year's awards excel at preventing serious, avoidable complications during hospital stays based on 13 patient safety indicators, including infections, in-hospital falls, collapsed lungs and pressure sores.

To qualify, hospitals must meet strict clinical thresholds and report zero cases of certain serious errors, such as leaving a foreign object behind during a procedure.

Texas, Florida, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania had the highest number of recognized hospitals. Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, North Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming and the District of Columbia had no hospitals on the list.