Florida
Judge orders hospital rating group to remove grades of these hospitals
Virginia health official discusses hospital accountability limits
The Virginia Department of Health faces significant challenges in holding hospitals accountable for patient health and safety, as explained by the state’s top health official.
Scripps News Morning Rush
An independent hospital rating organization has taken down grades of a South Florida health system after a judge ruled the group unfairly scored hospitals in semiannual patient safety reports.
The U.S. District Court judge’s order came after Palm Beach Health Network sued Leapfrog Group, claiming the patient safety organization targeted hospitals that refused to participate in Leapfrog’s twice-a-year report cards.
U.S. District Court Judge Donald Middlebrooks agreed with the hospitals, ruling that Leapfrog’s change in how it scored some hospitals had “no scientific basis, unfairly penalizes non-participating hospitals and misrepresents hospital safety.”
Leapfrog Group complied with a judge’s order to remove scores of the five hospitals by March 13. Those hospitals are Good Samaritan Medical Center, Delray Medical Center, Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, St. Mary’s Medical Center and West Boca Medical Center.
Leapfrog is one of several sources for patients to check safety scores of their local hospitals. U.S. News & World Report lists ratings and other information on hospitals and doctors. Other consumer sites such as Healthgrades and Yelp collect feedback from patients.
Lisa McGiffert, a patient safety advocate and past director of Consumers Union Safe Patient Project, worried about how the ruling might affect other patient rating groups.
“It could have a chilling effect on any number of entities that are trying to do some kind of rating,” McGiffert said.
Hospitals cite damage from poor ratings
The five Palm Beach Health Network hospitals applauded the judge’s March 6 decision, which followed a trial earlier this year.
In an interview with USA TODAY, Delray Medical Center CEO Heather Havericak said Leapfrog’s grades harmed her hospital’s reputation as well as the other Palm Beach hospitals. The five Palm Beach hospitals are owned by Tenet Healthcare.
“Those grades have been very damaging to our hospital and our Palm Beach Health Network,” said Havericak.
Leah Binder, CEO of Leapfrog Group, said the judge’s order was “outrageous” and one her organization plans to appeal.
“This is just terrible for consumers,” Binder said. “Consumers deserve to know what we know, based on expert opinion, about the safety of the hospitals they entrust their lives to.”
What did the hospitals contest?
Leapfrog assigns letter grades to hospitals in the spring and fall each year after evaluating 22 categories of public and private data. The public data is from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The private safety and quality data is collected via voluntary surveys sent to hospitals.
The lawsuit focused on Leapfrog’s 2024 change in evaluating missing survey data from four safety and quality measures.
In the Spring 2024 survey, Leapfrog used averages from similar hospitals when calculating scores for hospitals that didn’t provide survey data. By Fall 2024, Leapfrog changed such scores to “limited achievement,” which effectively depressed overall scores of hospitals that didn’t complete the surveys, according to the judge’s order.
The five Palm Beach hospitals stopped participating in the Leapfrog survey during the COVID-19 pandemic to allocate limited resources elsewhere.
Following the Fall 2024 change in how Leapfrog scored missing categories of survey data, the five Palm Beach hospitals all received lower grades of Ds and Fs. Delray’s grade dropped from a D to an F following the scoring change.
During the trial, Havericak testified that walk-in visitors to her hospital’s emergency room dropped 7% to 8% since 2024. During the same period, patients transported via emergency medical crews increased.
“When we have these misleading rates for data that we didn’t even submit, confidence is going to be shaken for our community,” Havericak said. “We saw various patients that wanted to seek treatment at other places as a result of seeing these misleading safety grades.”
Binder said Leapfrog won’t grade roughly 300 non-participating hospitals when it releases its Spring 2026 report card. Those hospitals − including the five Palm Beach hospitals − will be scored using a new methodology by Fall 2026 Binder said.
What does this mean for consumers?
McGiffert, the patient safety advocate, urged consumers to check multiple sources when evaluating a hospital or other health system.
CMS, which oversees Medicare and Medicaid, offers a searchable database with detailed quality scores for more than 4,000 Medicare-certified hospitals. CMS assigns an “overall rating” to a hospital of up to five stars.
West Boca Medical Center received an overall rating of two stars on CMS’s five-star scale. CMS graded the other four Palm Beach hospitals each at one star overall. A Palm Beach Hospital Network spokesman declined to discuss the CMS ratings.
Unlike Leapfrog, CMS doesn’t widely promote its scores, so the public might not even be aware of the information, McGiffert said.
McGiffert said consumers who can choose which hospital or health facility to visit should do their homework and not rely on any single rating. She said people should talk to other patients, search for lawsuits or talk to their medical provider about things like nurse staffing levels and infection control.
“When it comes to health care, people are still pretty trusting,” McGiffert said. “You just really need to do your homework. If somebody says, ‘We’re an A rated hospital.’ What exactly does that mean?”
Florida
The Vikings’ new DT Caleb Banks has strength that fits his massive size
The Vikings snagged a very big, very strong defensive tackle with the 18th overall pick in the 2026 draft with Caleb Banks out of Florida. Here’s everything you need to know.
What the Vikings are getting:
Massive interior defender with elite length and measurables that do not grow on trees. That length paired with an explosive first step allows Banks to get into the chest of linemen suddenly and violently where he’s able to control the action from the jump. Banks plays with good pad level for his height and delivers real knockback power. However, his motor burns hot and dies fast if he does not win within the first few moments following the snap. Second wave rush attempts and cleanup sacks won’t be abundant. Still, a team will be banking on dominant traits that could lead to a number of plays being snuffed out before they ever begin.
Athletic Testing/Measurables
Florida
Florida Lottery Powerball, Lotto, Fantasy 5 results for April 22, 2026
The Florida Lottery offers several draw games for those hoping to win one of the available jackpots.
Here’s a look at the winning numbers for games played on Wednesday, April 22, 2026.
Winning Powerball numbers from April 22 drawing
24-29-32-49-63, Powerball: 11, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from April 22 drawing
03-09-15-35-57, Powerball: 19
Winning Florida Lotto numbers from April 22 drawing
04-10-17-20-49-52
Check Florida Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lotto Double Play numbers from April 22 drawing
04-23-26-30-38-41
Check Lotto Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from April 22 drawing
Midday: 06-08-10-17-31
Evening: 02-06-12-15-30
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from April 22 drawing
Morning: 04
Matinee: 02
Afternoon: 08
Evening: 12
Late Night: 05
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Winning Pick 2 numbers from April 22 drawing
Midday: 8-0, FB: 0
Evening: 2-7, FB: 1
Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 22 drawing
Midday: 7-7-6, FB: 0
Evening: 9-5-9, FB: 1
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 22 drawing
Midday: 9-7-6-2, FB: 0
Evening: 4-0-9-0, FB: 1
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 5 numbers from April 22 drawing
Midday: 7-5-8-9-2, FB: 0
Evening: 9-5-2-2-7, FB: 1
Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Where can you buy Florida Lottery tickets?
Tickets can be purchased in person at any authorized retailer throughout Florida, including gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, go to Find Florida Lottery Retailers.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize
- Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
- Prizes for $600 to $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
- Prizes greater than $1 million and all prizes with an annual payment option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except Mega Millions and Powerball prizes, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.
You also can claim your winnings by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket to the Florida Lottery with the required documentation.
Florida law requires public disclosure of winners
If you’re a winner, Florida law mandates the following information is public record:
- Full name
- City of residence
- Game won
- Date won
- Amount won
- Name and location of the retailer where the winning ticket was purchased.
When are the Florida Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
- Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
- Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
- Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
- Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Florida digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
Florida
Florida couple in alleged embryo mix-up have identified biological parents of ‘non-caucasian’ baby
A Florida couple who claimed a fertility clinic error led the woman giving birth to a “non-Caucasian child” who was not related to them said they have identified their child’s biological parents, according to reports.
“The results of testing delivered to us today confirm that our baby’s genetic parents have been identified,” Tiffany Score and Steven Mills said in a statement obtained by People on Wednesday.
Score and Mills filed a lawsuit in January against Fertility Center of Orlando and its head reproductive endocrinologist, Dr. Milton McNichol, alleging that another patient’s embryo was implanted in Score’s uterus in April 2025.
The mix-up led to the birth of their now 4-month-old daughter, Shea, who is not biologically related to them, the filing alleged.
“This ends one chapter in our heartbreaking journey, but it raises new issues that will have to be resolved,” the statement continued. “In addition, questions about the disposition of our own embryos are still unanswered and are even more unlikely to ever be answered.”
“Only one thing is as absolutely certain today as it was on the day our daughter was born —we will love and will be this child’s parents forever.”
The couple added that they will respect the privacy of Shea’s biological parents and will keep their identities “confidential.”
Score and Mills, who are both white, stored three viable embryos at the Longwood clinic in 2020 for in vitro fertilization, a process that creates embryos and stores them until pregnancy.
Five years later, after an embryo was implanted, the couple gave birth to a “beautiful, healthy female child” on Dec. 11, 2025, according to the lawsuit filed Jan. 22 in Orange County Circuit Court and obtained by Law & Crime.
“Tragically, while both Jane Doe and John Doe are racially Caucasian, Baby Doe displayed the physical appearance of a racially non-Caucasian child,” the lawsuit said.
Further genetic testing confirmed that baby Shea had no biological relationship to either parent — raising questions about where their embryos had gone or whether another woman was impregnated with their biological child.
The new parents had an “intensely strong emotional bond” with their child during pregnancy and wished to keep the girl, but recognized she “should legally and morally be united with her genetic parents so long as they are fit, able and willing to take her,” the lawsuit stated.
Scarola told People, following Wednesday’s development, that Shea’s biological parents have not made any requests to take her into custody.
“Remaining questions about the fate of Tiffany and Steven’s unaccounted for embryos…are still pending,” Scarola said.
“The current legal proceeding will remain open to address those matters,” the attorney added. “However, we expect that we will now also begin to focus on the need for our clients to be compensated for the expenses they have incurred and the severe emotional trauma that they endured and will continue to experience.”
The Fertility Clinic of Orlando announced earlier this month that it would close by May 20 — a decision leadership said was made after “thoughtful consideration.”
Neither Scarola nor the clinic immediately responded to The Post’s request for comment.
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