Health
Top 5 states with the highest number of safe hospitals, according to new report
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Hundreds of hospitals across the country are being recognized for keeping patients safe, and a handful of states stand out for having the highest number of top performers.
Healthgrades, a platform for finding doctors, health care providers and hospitals, released its 2026 Patient Safety Excellence Awards this month, naming 438 hospitals in 40 states that rank among the top 10% nationwide for patient safety.
The analysis highlights centers that excel at preventing serious, avoidable complications during hospital stays based on 13 patient safety indicators.
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Among all states, five had the highest number of hospitals earning the distinction: Texas, Florida, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Hundreds of hospitals across the U.S. were recognized for top patient safety performance in a new report. (iStock)
These states led the nation in total award recipients, with counts ranging from 21 to as many as 62 hospitals, according to Healthgrades data cited by MedPage Today. The concentration of high-performing hospitals in these states may be partly driven by size, the outlet noted.
“The prevalence of recipients in a particular state could be related to something as simple as that state having a large number of hospitals,” a Healthgrades spokesperson told MedPage Today.
Nonetheless, the findings point to strong safety performance across several of the nation’s most populated regions, particularly major metro areas such as Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth and New York City.
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Patients treated at these hospitals saw significantly lower risks for some of the most common and serious safety events that account for the majority of in-hospital complications, according to a news release.
The rankings are based on data measuring 13 patient safety indicators, including infections and complications. (iStock)
Compared to other hospitals, patients at award-winning facilities were 52.4% less likely to experience an in-hospital fall resulting in fracture; 57.5% less likely to suffer a collapsed lung related to procedures; 67.8% less likely to develop catheter-related bloodstream infections; and 71.9% less likely to develop pressure sores.
Those four indicators alone make up about 78% of all patient safety events, according to Healthgrades, and if all hospitals performed at the same level as this year’s recipients, more than 100,000 patient safety events could have been avoided between 2022 and 2024.
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“The data behind this year’s Patient Safety Excellence Award highlights how measurable improvements in safety can prevent thousands of complications,” Dr. Alana Biggers, a medical advisor at Healthgrades, said in a statement.
Hospitals were required to report zero cases of serious errors, such as leaving a foreign object behind during a procedure. (iStock)
“Hospitals that prioritize evidence-based safety practices not only achieve better clinical outcomes but also cultivate a culture where patients come first,” Biggers added. “These insights give individuals and families the information they need to make confident and better informed healthcare decisions.”
The award is based on an analysis of Medicare inpatient data, evaluating outcomes such as complications, mortality and preventable safety events. 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.
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Overall, 250 hospitals ranked in the top 5% nationwide for safety, including facilities affiliated with major systems such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic and HCA Healthcare.
Ten states had no hospitals on the list: Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, North Dakota, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming and the District of Columbia.
Some states had no hospitals on the list, highlighting gaps in access to high-quality care. (iStock)
Experts say factors including rural hospital shortages and “care deserts” may contribute to those gaps because patients in underserved areas often face longer travel times and arrive with more advanced conditions.
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Nearly one-third of this year’s recognized hospitals were new to the list, according to Healthgrades, reflecting continued shifts in hospital performance and safety practices across the country.
The full list of hospitals that received the Patient Safety Excellence Award can be found here.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Healthgrades for additional comment.
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Health
Most Americans are doing one nightly activity that’s wrecking their sleep, expert says
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If you’re not sleeping well, there could be a variety of reasons, but one habit stands out as the biggest culprit.
Dr. Wendy Troxel, a licensed clinical psychologist and senior behavioral scientist at RAND based in Utah, revealed that phone use at night is the activity that is most likely to have a negative effect on slumber.
“Most people are aware of this, but probably the No. 1 habit that’s contributing to interrupted sleep and poor-quality sleep in Americans is the use of phones at night, particularly in bed,” she said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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“About 90% of Americans are using their phones in bed, and as much as I would like to tell everybody to remove the phone entirely from the bedroom, I realize that ship has probably sailed by now.”
About 90% of Americans use their phones in bed, the sleep expert said. (iStock)
This disruption is driven by both blue light exposure and the stimulating content on phones, according to Troxel.
“There is blue light emitted from our devices, and blue light can suppress the hormone melatonin, which is the hormone of darkness.”
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“But it’s not just the blue light that is causing sleep disruptions from our phones. It’s really the stimulating content that we’re consuming … (on) social media, which is designed to be addictive, so that you can’t put that phone down,” she added.
The combination of blue light and stimulating content keeps the mind alert and interrupts quality sleep. (iStock)
This content is also “very emotionally activating,” Troxel noted, which is “antithetical to the state we want to be in as we approach sleep.”
To counteract attachment to phones, the sleep expert recommends setting a boundary with one simple rule.
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“I recommend that you try to keep your phone more than arms’ distance away from you while in bed,” she advised. “And set a rule for yourself. If you’re going to use the phone, don’t do it in bed. In fact, make your feet be on the floor if you’re going to use that phone.”
“I recommend that you try to keep your phone more than arms’ distance away from you while in bed,” the sleep expert recommended. (iStock)
Setting this boundary creates “behavioral friction,” according to Troxel.
“As a clinical psychologist, I work with people to help them … break habits that aren’t serving them,” she said. “Having that little bit of behavioral friction makes the habit of immediately grabbing for the phone and scrolling while in bed a little more difficult.
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“And when that automatic behavior is a little more difficult, it’s less likely to occur.”
Health
Giant golden spiders could spread this summer; experts downplay health risk
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Large, palm-sized spiders are spinning massive golden webs across porches and power lines, and, according to experts, they’re here to stay.
The Joro spider, which has a leg span up to 4 inches and markings of neon yellow, blue-black and red, was first recorded in Georgia in 2013.
Since its arrival — likely as a hitchhiker on a shipping container or an airplane from Asia, experts say — the arachnid has been steadily marching north.
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The spiders have so far been spotted in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
They are expected to spread throughout eastern North America, at least as far north as Pennsylvania and possibly further in warmer, coastal areas, according to Penn State.
Joro spiders can “fly” by shooting out silk parachutes that carry them on the wind. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
To travel, the spider uses a technique called “ballooning,” in which hatchlings release fine silk threads that catch air currents and carry them over long distances.
Ian Williams, an entomologist with Orkin, said he counted 200 adult spiders by September of last year on his one-acre property near Atlanta.
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“They’re quite intimidating looking spiders, and they make very large webs,” he told Fox News Digital. “The webbing itself, if it catches the sunlight, has a golden hue to it. And it’s very strong.”
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Despite the arachnid’s striking appearance, experts agree that people shouldn’t panic. Research shows the Joro is among the “shyest” spiders ever documented. When disturbed, they often sits motionless for over an hour rather than attacking.
Joro spiders like to spin their webs up high near houses, trees and even power lines, an expert said. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald)
“While they’re large spiders, they don’t have large fangs. And, so, it’s difficult for them to bite humans,” Williams noted.
Even in the rare event of a nip, the expert said the venom is weak, comparable to a localized bee sting, and carries “no medical importance.”
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As an invasive species, the Joro’s impact is still being weighed by scientists.
“One of the big concerns is that they potentially out-compete native species of spiders,” Williams said.
Physical removal is more efficient than pesticides, according to an expert. (iStock)
A prolific hunter, the Joro spider catches everything from mosquitoes to large, meaty insects like cicadas. It is unclear whether it steals food from native garden spiders.
To prevent Joro spiders from nesting on your porch or property, experts recommend using a broom or long pole to knock the web down.
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“Spiders may get the message, ‘Hey, I’m not going to keep remaking my same web in the same area,’” Williams said.
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Physical removal is more effective than pesticides, which often miss the spiders in their high, open-air webs.
For those who spot a Joro spider in a new area, experts suggest logging the sighting on apps like iNaturalist to help researchers track their northern migration.
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