These are the Kansas City area’s most unsafe hospitals. See the ratings
When going to the hospital for a surgery or illness, you trust that the medical staff will treat your condition well. But if your nurses and doctors don’t wash their hands or give you the wrong medicine, your health could get worse, not better.
But some Kansas City- area hospitals are better at these patient safety steps than others.
Falls, infections after surgery, miscommunications with staff and other preventable safety issues kill more than 200,000 people each year, according to health care watchdog nonprofit The Leapfrog Group.
The organization, which has given hospitals letter grades on patient safety for over 20 years, released its fall 2025 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades on Nov. 13.
Twice a year, hospitals are evaluated in 32 areas grouped in five categories: infections; problems with surgery; safety problems; practices to prevent errors; and staffing levels and education. The nonprofit gets data from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, alongside a Leapfrog survey.
While grades range from A to F, the Kansas City area did not have any D or F facilities.
As for the distribution of grades across the state, 23% of Kansas hospitals earned A grades. Missouri scored worse; only 17% of hospitals received A grades, which is the 40th in the nation.
The nonprofit does not release grades for VA hospitals, mental health facilities, free- standing pediatric hospitals and some specialty facilities, like surgery centers and cancer hospitals.
For more information on your hospital’s performance in other aspects, like patient satisfaction and treatment effectiveness, search the facility’s name on the Medicare website’s care to compare tool. In addition, U.S. News and World Report releases annual rankings based on hospitals’ performance in a variety of medical specialties and common procedures.
Here are the Kansas City area hospitals with the best and worst patient safety ratings for fall 2025, according to Leapfrog Group.
Most unsafe hospitals in the Kansas City area (C grades)
University Health Truman Medical Center, Kansas City
University Health Truman Medical Center scored below average in 10 out of 32 categories, including the worst possible score on nursing and bedside care for patients. Since 2022, the Hospital Hill facility has scored a C grade in seven out of eight assessments.
Saint Luke’s North Hospital - Barry Road, Kansas City
Saint Luke’s North scored below average in seven out of 28 categories, including the worst possible score on urinary tract infections while using urinary catheter. The hospital declined to report metrics in four categories. The Northland facility scored a B grade in seven out of eight most recent assessments.
Research Medical Center Main Campus, Kansas City
Research Medical Center scored below average in seven out of 32 categories, including the worst possible score on nursing and bedside care for patients. The south Kansas City hospital has received a mix of B and C grades during the past three years.
University Health Lakewood Medical Center, Kansas City
University Health Lakewood scored below average in five out of 26 categories, with the worst possible score on nursing and bedside care for patients. Data was not available in six categories, meaning the facility did not have enough patients for data or did not perform those procedures. The hospital, located just west of Lee’s Summit, earned a mix of B and C grades since 2022.
The University of Kansas Hospital, Kansas City, Kansas
KU Medical Center scored below average in four out of 25 categories. The hospital declined to report information in seven categories. The Kansas City, Kansas, hospital has received only C grades for the past five assessments.
Overland Park Regional Medical Center
Overland Park Regional Medical Center scored below average in five out of 32 categories, including the worst possible score on nursing and bedside care for patients. The Johnson County hospital received A grades in 2022 and 2023, before dropping to B and then C in 2024 and 2025.
Safest hospitals in the Kansas City area (A grades)
- AdventHealth South Overland Park Hospital
- Menorah Medical Center, Overland Park
- Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
- Saint Luke’s East Hospital, Lee’s Summit
- Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City
- St. Joseph Medical Center, Kansas City
- St. Mary’s Medical Center, Blue Springs
B grades
- AdventHealth Shawnee Mission
- Belton Regional Medical Center
- Centerpoint Medical Center, Independence
- Lee’s Summit Medical Center
- Liberty Hospital
- North Kansas City Hospital
- Olathe Medical Center
- Saint Luke’s South Hospital, Overland Park
