These Miami-area hospitals and surgery centers are the best in the state, rankings say
Two hospitals and several ambulatory surgery centers in South Florida were recognized by a national watchdog group for providing some of the best patient safety and care in the state.
Larkin Community Hospitalin South Miami and Nicklaus Children’s Hospital near South Miami were two of the 134 hospitals in the country to receive a “Top Hospital” award. The honor was given to less than 6% of all eligible hospitals in the U.S. by Leapfrog, a national watchdog nonprofit that for decades has scored hospitals on patient safety.
Several ambulatory surgery centers run by Baptist Health South Florida, including in Coral Gables, Kendall, Miami Beach, Plantation and South Miami, were also recognized for being some of the top 31 ambulatory surgery centers in the country. These centers specialize in surgeries and procedures that don’t require an overnight stay. Usually, procedures at an ambulatory surgery center cost less then at the hospital.
Leapfrog has analyzed hospital data for more than 20 years. It gives A-F grades to hospitals nationwide twice a year for patient safety and also scores ambulatory surgery centers on the quality and safety of their patient care. In December, it honored the highest performing hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers in each state for doing a good job on preventing infections, surgical and medication errors.
Florida got high praise, with 13 ambulatory surgery centers, all part of Baptist Health South Florida, receiving “Top ASC” awards, the most for any state in 2024, according to Katie Stewart, director of healthcare ratings at Leapfrog Group. Eighteen hospitals in the state were also recognized, putting Florida just behind California for the state with the highest number of Top Hospitals in 2024.
What to know about the hospital rankings
Only hospitals that received an “A” in the most recent round of Leapfrog’s safety grade scoring are eligible for the Top Hospital award. Similarly, only ambulatory surgery centers that scored high in quality care and patient safety were eligible for the Top ASC award.
This time, 134 hospitals out of more than 2,000 in the country earned the Top Hospital Award for 2024, including eight children’s hospitals, 36 general hospitals, 15 rural hospitals and 75 teaching hospitals. This represents less than 6% of all eligible hospitals in the U.S., according to Leapfrog.
A total of 31 ambulatory surgery centers representing nine surgical specialties in the country earned the Top ASC Award. The specialties include gastroenterology, general surgery, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, orthopedic surgery, urology, neurological surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and plastic and reconstructive surgery.
“It is truly a joy to recognize the hospitals and ASCs across the nation that have gone above and beyond in their pursuit of excellence,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a statement. “Our Top Hospital and Top ASC Awards are among the most prestigious in the U.S. and deserve credit for role model performance.”
Here’s a look at all the Florida hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers that were given an award:
Top Hospitals in Florida
Florida had 18 hospitals recognized with a “Top Hospital” award. Two are in South Florida:
▪ Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, 3100 SW 62nd Ave., was one of eight pediatric hospitals in the country and the only pediatric hospital in South Florida to receive a “Top Hospital” award.
“For the third year in a row, we have the honor of being recognized as a Leapfrog Top Children’s Hospital,” Matthew A. Love, president and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System, said in a statement. “This recognition highlights the unwavering dedication from our clinical and support teams of ensuring patient safety and compassionate care to the children and families we serve.”
Larkin Community Hospital, 7031 SW 62nd Ave., was one of 75 teaching hospitals in the country to receive a “Top Hospital” award.
Here are the other Top Hospitals in Florida:
▪ AdventHealth Altamonte Springs, Top General Hospital
▪ AdventHealth Apopka, Top General Hospital
▪ AdventHealth DeLand, Top General Hospital
▪ AdventHealth for Children in Orlando, Top Children’s Hospital
▪ AdventHealth New Smyrna Beach, Top General Hospital
▪ AdventHealth Orlando, Top Teaching Hospital
▪ AdventHealth Wauchula, Top Rural Hospital
▪ AdventHealth Winter Park, Top Teaching Hospital
▪ Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersberg, Top Children’s Hospital
▪ Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, Top Teaching Hospital
▪ Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, Top Children’s Hospital
▪ Orlando Health - Health Central Hospital, Top Teaching Hospital
▪ Orlando Health South Lake Hospital, Top Teaching Hospital
▪ Orlando Health - Orlando Regional Medical Center, Top Teaching Hospital
▪ Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, Top Teaching Hospital
▪ Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Top Children’s Hospital
Top ambulatory surgery centers in Florida
Thirteen ambulatory surgery centers run by Baptist Health South Florida received “Top ASC” awards, the most for any state in 2024, according to Leapfrog. “This is due in large part to Baptist Health South Florida — their strong performance and absolute commitment to transparency is inspiring,” Stewart, director of healthcare ratings at Leapfrog Group, told the Miami Herald in an email.
Baptist Health South Florida, in an emailed statement to the Miami Herald, said its proud to be among the top ambulatory surgery centers in the country. The hospital system says its goal is “to provide high-quality, safe care for our patients” and that it remains “committed to continuous improvement in all aspects of patient care and safety.”
Here are the centers:
▪ Baptist Health Endoscopy Center at Coral Springs
▪ Baptist Health Endoscopy Center at Flagler
▪ Baptist Health Endoscopy Center at Galloway North
▪ Baptist Health Endoscopy Center at Galloway South
▪ Baptist Health Eye Surgery Center at Sunrise
▪ Baptist Health Surgery Center at Bethesda West
▪ Baptist Health Surgery Center Coral Gables
▪ Baptist Health Surgery Center at Kendall
▪ Baptist Health Surgery Center at Miami Beach
▪ Baptist Health Surgery Center at Northpoint
▪ Baptist Health Surgery Center at Plantation
▪ Baptist Health Surgery Center at South Miami
▪ Baptist Health Surgery Center at South Palm
To learn more about the awards and see the top hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers in other states, visit leapfroggroup.org
This story was originally published January 14, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
