UNM Sandoval Regional reports Leapfrog grade improvement, seeks county nominee for hospital board seat

Kate Becker, chief executive officer for UNM Hospitals’ Sandoval campus, told the Sandoval County Board of County Commissioners on July 23 that Sandoval Regional Medical Center’s quality ratings and local services have improved and that the hospital needs the county’s help filling a vacant oversight seat.

Becker said Sandoval Regional earned a B from Leapfrog in spring 2025, up two letter grades since fall 2023, and credited both improvements in process measures and older outcome data rolling off the Leapfrog calculation for the rise. “In spring of 2025, Sandoval Regional got a B from LeapFrog,” Becker said. She also highlighted a medication-safety technology rollout, saying barcode medication administration helped that progress.

The report matters locally because it speaks to access and capacity at the county hospital, officials said. Becker told commissioners about trauma and behavioral-health services at SRMC and asked the commission to consider a nominee the hospital’s Board of Advisors proposed for a seat on the UNM Hospitals Board of Trustees.

Becker summarized several operational points and data. On trauma she said the…