CentraState Medical Center Has 'C' Rating In Safety Grades Report

Freehold NJ

13 May, 2022

4:53 PM

Description

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP, N.J.— CentraState Medical Center, which scored a "C" ranking of hospitals in a report released recently by the health care watchdog The Leapfrog Group, takes issue with the rating. "As a High Reliability Organization with numerous safety programs in place, CentraState's executive leadership and care team are disappointed with this grade and feel it does not accurately reflect our true safety profile nor our dedication to the care of our patients," said Karen Freeman, vice president Quality and Patient Safety, CentraState Healthcare System. "We are extremely proud of our staff and physician partners, particularly this year, who have done an extraordinary job in treating and keeping our patients safe amid the unique challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. "Our focus remains on providing the safest care and achieving the best outcomes for our patients," she added. CentraState is in partnership with the Atlantic Health System. According to the Leapfrog report, the only category in which CentraState did not match the best hospitals was in the Safety Problems category that includes various types of issues, such as falls or clotting. The hospital matched the best hospitals in terms of staff practices, infections, practices to prevent errors and problems with surgery. Several other hospitals in New Jersey received 'A" grades, including Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank and Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune and Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel. Bayshore, Riverview and Jersey Shore University medical centers are part of Hackensack Meridian Health. Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, part of RWJBarnabas Health, was also ranked "A." The Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades report released by the independent nonprofit group shows the pandemic took a toll. The latest ratings reflect care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Leapfrog Group said its and other groups' research showed the pandemic reversed years of progress in patient safety.The pandemic has had a negative effect on "health care delivery at every level and setting, from staffing shortages to increased infections to the very care patients receive," according to the Adult Patient Experience at Acute Care Hospitals survey, also released Tuesday by The Leapfrog Group. "The health care workforce has faced unprecedented levels of pressure during the pandemic, and as a result, patients' experience with their care appears to have suffered," Leapfrog Group CEO Leah Binder said in a news release. "We commend the workforce for their heroic efforts these past few years and now strongly urge hospital leadership to recommit to improved care — from communication to responsiveness — and get back on track with patient safety outcomes."In New Jersey, 30 hospitals received an "A" grade, 16 got a "B," 19 earned a "C" and four received a "D." Here are the rankings, according to Leapfrog:A Bayshore Medical Center, HolmdelCapital Health Medical Center - Hopewell, PenningtonChilton Medical Center, Pompton PlainsEnglewood Hospital and Medical CenterHackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center, North BergenHackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center, WestwoodHackensack Meridian Ocean University Medical Center, BrickHackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical CenterHackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth AmboyHunterdon Medical Center, FlemingtonInspira Medical Center Mullica HillInspira Medical Center VinelandJefferson Cherry Hill HospitalJefferson Stratford HospitalJefferson Washington Township Hospital, TurnersvilleJersey Shore University Medical Center, NeptuneMonmouth Medical Center, Long BranchMorristown Medical CenterNewton Medical CenterOverlook Medical Center, SummitPenn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, PlainsboroRiverview Medical Center, Red BankRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital RahwaySaint Clare's Hospital of DenvilleSaint Michael's Medical Center, NewarkSaint Peter's University Hospital, New BrunswickSt. Luke's Warren Campus, PhillipsburgSt. Mary's General Hospital, PassaicThe Valley Hospital Virtua Voorhees Hospital, Voorhees B Atlanticare Regional Medical Center-Mainland Campus, PomonaCape Regional Medical Center, Cape May Court HouseCapital Health Regional Medical Center, TrentonClara Maass Medical Center, BellevilleCommunity Medical Center, Toms RiverHackensack University Medical CenterHudson Regional Hospital, SecaucusInspira Medical Center ElmerJersey City Medical CenterJFK University Medical Center, EdisonMonmouth Medical Center Southern Campus, LakewoodNewark Beth Israel Medical CenterRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital at HamiltonRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, SomervilleSaint Clare's Hospital of DoverVirtua Marlton Hospital C Atlanticare Regional Medical Center - City Campus, Atlantic CityCarePoint Health-Bayonne Medical CenterCarePoint Health-Christ Hospital, Jersey CityCarepoint Health-Hoboken University Medical CenterCentraState Medical Center, FreeholdCooper University Hospital, CamdenCooperman Barnabas Medical Center, LivingstonHackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center, MontclairHackettstown Regional Medical CenterRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New BrunswickSalem Medical CenterShore Medical Center, Somers PointSouthern Ocean Medical Center, ManahawkinSt. Francis Medical Center of TrentonTrinitas Regional Medical Center RWJBH, ElizabethUniversity Hospital, NewarkVirtua Mount Holly HospitalVirtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, CamdenVirtua Willingboro Hospital D CareWell Health Medical Center, East OrangeHoly Name Medical Center, TeaneckSt. Joseph's University Medical Center, PatersonSt. Joseph's Wayne Medical Center The letter grades assigned to nearly 3,000 U.S general hospitals were based on more than 30 measures of patient safety. Leapfrog says its hospital rating system is the only one in the country focusing solely on a hospital's ability to protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections.Included in the 30 are five that research has shown to directly affect patient outcomes, but can be improved with greater communication between caregivers and patients — the number of central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, infections from colon surgery, MRSA (Staphylococcus) blood laboratory-identified events and facility-wide inpatient diarrhea events.When there's communication about medications, for example, that can lead to fewer hospitalizations for conditions such as sepsis and blood clots, fewer complications and decreases in the incidence of respiratory failure, Leapfrog said.Among the findings: Thirty-three percent of hospitals received an "A," 24 percent received a "B," 36 percent received a "C," 7 percent received a "D." and fewer than 1 percent received an "F".The states with the highest percentages of "A" hospitals are North Carolina, Virginia, Utah, Colorado and Michigan.There were no "A" hospitals in Wyoming, West Virginia, North Dakota or the District of Columbia. To determine each hospital's grade, a panel of medical experts selected 30 evidence-based measures of patient safety such as postoperative sepsis, blood leakage and kidney injury. They then determined the weight of each measure based on evidence, opportunity for improvement and patient impact.Data on each measure was collected through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Information from the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, available to all hospitals to complete, also affects grades.Currently, Leapfrog does not assign grades to military or Veterans Administration hospitals, critical access hospitals, specialty hospitals, children's hospitals or outpatient surgery centers.The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade methodology has been peer-reviewed and published in the Journal of Patient Safety.The full methodology for the 2022 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is available online.