Five South Florida hospitals and the Leapfrog Group are separately asking a Palm Beach County judge to resolve a legal dispute over the nonprofit’s hospital safety grades without a trial.
Over the past three weeks, each side has filed motions for summary judgment, presenting arguments to convince the court to rule in its favor.
The hospitals’ motion, filed Oct. 28, contends that Leapfrog’s safety grades are misleading, based on a “rigged” methodology, and designed to pressure hospitals to pay for memberships or share proprietary data.
The hospitals — all owned by Tenet Healthcare — initially filed suit April 30, accusing Leapfrog of defamation and unfair business practices under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.
Leapfrog, in a separate motion this week, asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that its ratings are protected by free-speech principles and based on transparent, research-backed methods.
"Leapfrog does not operate a pay-for-play structure," Leapfrog president and CEO Leah Binder said. "The Leapfrog hospital survey is free for hospitals to complete, and all of Leapfrog’s ratings and data are free for the public to access."
The nonprofit publishes A-to-F grades twice a year to help patients assess hospital safety, and says its methodology is open to the public, reviewed by independent experts, and updated annually with input from hospitals and researchers. Leapfrog maintains its intent is to inform consumers, not provide professional medical advice or regulatory guidance.
At the center of the dispute is a 2024 policy change affecting hospitals that fail to submit safety data voluntarily. Previously, Leapfrog filled in missing scores with peer averages; under the new policy, hospitals receive the lowest possible rating, “Limited Achievement,” if no recent data exists.
Leapfrog says hospitals were notified of the change months in advance, and the adjustment was applied consistently nationwide.
ALSO READ: Leapfrog Group sends cease-and-desist letter to five Florida Tenet hospitals that filed lawsuit
The Florida hospitals' filing follows a May cease-and-desist letter Leapfrog sent to the hospitals and their attorneys, demanding they stop spreading “false statements” about its grading system. The hospitals contend that the highest-rated facilities tend to be Leapfrog members — a claim the nonprofit disputes.
“Leapfrog’s business model relies on hospitals participating in its annual survey to drive revenue," according to a statement from the hospitals emailed to WUSF.
The hospitals — Good Samaritan Medical Center and St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach; Delray Medical Center in Delray Beach; Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center; and West Boca Medical Center — said the ratings harm patients and communities, undermining trust in local hospitals.
"Over the past year, Leapfrog has deliberately changed its Hospital Safety Grade scoring methodology to punish hospitals that decline to participate in its survey — without scientific basis or expert report, and instead for commercial reasons," the hospitals said in the email.
"The result is a system built on inaccurate data and pressure tactics that mislead the public and damage hospitals’ reputations. These rankings benefit only Leapfrog, at the expense of patients and the broader health care system."
In the report cards under dispute — from last year’s Leapfrog grading cycle — Delray, West Boca, and Palm Beach Gardens received F grades, while Good Samaritan and St. Mary’s each received a D. The hospitals are seeking more than $75,000 in damages, a court order barring Leapfrog from grading them in the future, and removal of their scores from the organization’s website.
In the lawsuit, the hospitals are seeking more than $75,000 in damages, an order barring Leapfrog from grading them in the future, and removal of their recent scores from the organization’s website.
"Our hospitals are the backbone of urgent and critical health care services in the Palm Beach community," the hospitals' email said. "Like all hospitals, we are constantly working to improve patient safety and quality care, but these deceptive ratings undermine the vital trust between doctors, hospitals and patients that is essential to positive health outcomes."
Lealfrog issued its fall 2025 safety grades on Thursday, and again Good Samaritan and St. Mary’s each received a D, while Palm Beach Gardens and West Boca moved up to a D. Delray was again given an F - the only failing grade among the state's 192 hospitals.
