North Dakota Now Has 2 Hospitals With Below Average Safety

We have seven major North Dakota hospitals, including two right here in Bismarck.

Those seven hospitals include Sanford Broadway Medical Center, Sanford Medical Center, and Essentia Health in Fargo, Altru in Grand Forks, Trinity Health in Minot, Sanford Medical Center, and CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck.

Of all these hospitals, only ONE has an above-average patient safety grade.

That's actually DOWN from 2 hospitals during the spring 2025 survey.

Did you know that over 400,000 people die every year because of hospital safety problems?  That makes patient safety at hospitals the third leading cause of death in America, behind heart disease and cancer.

Those are some sobering statistics that should scare the hell out of you if you should need medical attention at a hospital.

According to The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit that studies patient safety across the country twice each year, it recently took a look at the state of North Dakota for the fall of 25. They previously surveyed the state in the spring of 2025.

It now appears we only have ONE hospital in the state, where you can feel somewhat confident about putting your life in their hands.  That would be the good news. The bad news, the majority of the remaining hospitals only have average patient safety, and we now have TWO hospitals with BELOW average safety. Kind of scary if you think about it.

Yep, for the first time in the last two years, we have TWO hospitals in the state with below-average patient safety.

Most of our hospitals in North Dakota fell smack dab into the meaty curve of mediocrity. The data is based on numerous factors in patient safety, including infections, problems with surgery, safety problems, practicing to prevent errors, and doctors, nurses, and hospital staff.

Here's how our individual North Dakota major hospitals scored during the fall of 24 studies based on a grade of A, B, C, D & F!

1. CHI St. Alexius Health-Bismarck, North Dakota. "B" Grade. (The only above-average hospital in the state.)

2. Trinity Health-Minot, North Dakota. "C" Grade. (Down from a "B" grade this spring)

3.  Sanford Broadway Medical Center-Fargo, North Dakota. "C" Grade.

4.  Essentia Health-Fargo, North Dakota. "C" Grade.

5. Sanford Medical Center-Fargo, North Dakota. "C" Grade.

6. Sanford Medical Center-Bismarck, North Dakota. "D" Grade. (Down from a "C" grade this spring)

7. Altru Health System-Grand Forks, North Dakota. "D" Grade. (Down from a "C" grade this spring)

In the article, you can also show past grades. I guess currently in the state of North Dakota, when it comes to patient safety, it could be worse, but it could be a lot better, too.

UPDATE: We have received a response from Sanford Hospital in Bismarck. Here's an email from their President & CEO.

Leapfrog Statement

Updated Nov. 26, 2025

“Sanford is dedicated to delivering high-quality, patient-centered care in the safest environment possible. We focus on building a culture that prioritizes quality from within, and we continuously measure and benchmark our performance against the nation’s leading health systems to ensure the best outcomes for our patients.

Sanford consistently ranks among the top hospitals nationwide and has maintained an overall hospital quality rating of 4 stars from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), reflecting our ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional care and patient outcomes. In 2025, Sanford Bismarck was ranked one of the world’s best hospitals by Newsweek and recognized as part of the Women’s Choice Awards in several categories, including patient safety. In addition, Sanford Bismarck was ranked No. 2 on the top hospitals list in North Dakota by U.S. News & World Report and is nationally ranked in the top 50 hospitals in cardiology, heart & vascular surgery.

Many hospitals across the nation choose not to participate in the Leapfrog survey as the ratings are based on a narrow set of measures that do not fully reflect the comprehensive care and outcomes we deliver to our patients. If an organization does not participate with Leapfrog, the hospital system is given “limited achievement,” therefore penalized for not participating. Additionally, the cost associated with participation is significant, and we believe those resources are better invested directly into patient care and quality improvement initiatives.

Our commitment to safety, quality and transparency remains strong. We continue to report data through multiple recognized channels and adhere to rigorous standards to ensure the highest level of care for our community.”

-Todd Schaffer, M.D., president and CEO, Sanford Bismarck