Awards recognize hospitals reducing preventable errors that claim hundreds of thousands of lives each year

In observance of National Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 8-14, 2026), the Economic Alliance for Michigan (EAM), a nonprofit organization representing some of Michigan’s largest employers and unions, announced the recipients of the 2026 EAM Hospital Patient Safety Awards. The awards recognize Michigan hospitals that consistently achieve high marks or demonstrate improvement in patient safety and quality of care. This year marks the eleventh year of the awards.

Patients often select a doctor and automatically receive care at the hospital where that physician practices. However, patient safety can vary widely between hospitals in areas such as infection rates, surgical errors and patient injuries. Choosing a safer hospital can be the difference between life and death.

Preventable hospital errors cost the U.S. health care system over $17.0 billion annually, in addition to causing hundreds of thousands of patient deaths each year.

“Preventable medical errors are devastating for patients and incredibly costly for our health care system,” said Bret Jackson, president and CEO of EAM. “Employers, families, and patients ultimately shoulder those costs. Hospitals that focus on safety and transparency are proving that better care can also lead to more affordable care.”

This year, twelve Michigan hospitals earned an award. EAM created the awards to raise awareness about the need for greater transparency in hospital outcomes and pricing, and to recognize hospitals that prioritize safe, high-quality care. According to The Leapfrog Group, a national watchdog organization for patient safety, an estimated 500 people die every day in U.S. hospitals due to preventable medical errors.

Hospitals can receive one of two recognitions: the Excellence Award or the Improvement Award. To be eligible, hospitals must have participated in the 2025 Leapfrog Hospital Survey, demonstrating a commitment to transparency.

Hospitals receiving the Excellence Award participated in the 2025 Leapfrog Hospital Survey and maintained an “A” Hospital Safety Grade in four consecutive grading periods: Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025 and Fall 2025.

The recipients of the 2026 Excellence Award for patient safety are:

• Corewell Health Zeeland Hospital
• Garden City Hospital         
• Henry Ford Health West Bloomfield Hospital
• Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit
• Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital
• MyMichigan Medical Center Alma
• MyMichigan Medical Center West Branch
• Trinity Health Livingston Hospital in Howell

Hospitals receiving the Improvement Award participated in the 2025 Leapfrog Hospital Survey and demonstrated improvement in Hospital Safety Grades over the same four grading periods. Grades could not decline during the period, the final grade (Fall 2025) must be at least a “B,” and hospitals must improve by two letter grades over the four reporting cycles.

The recipients of the 2026 Improvement Award for patient safety are:

• McLaren Bay Region in Bay City
• McLaren Central Michigan in Mount Pleasant
• McLaren Northern Michigan in Petoskey
• Munson Healthcare Otsego Memorial Hospital in Gaylord

“Every patient deserves to walk into a hospital knowing their safety comes first,” said Jackson. “Too many lives are still lost each year to preventable medical errors. The hospitals we’re recognizing today are setting the example for what health care should look like by being transparent, accountable, and relentlessly focused on protecting patients.”

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Patient Safety Awareness Week is an annual recognition event intended to encourage everyone to learn more about healthcare safety.