New NJ Hospital Safety Ratings: 25 Get 'A' Grade, 2 Get 'Ds'

Chatham NJ

08 January, 2021

8:58 AM

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NEW JERSEY — Twenty-five New Jersey hospitals received an "A" grade for patient safety, Leapfrog recently released a new round of hospital safety grades. In that same analysis, two New Jersey hospitals received a "D" grade. Twenty-four hospitals received a "B," while 16 got a "C." Across the United States, the latest grades show 34 percent of hospitals nationwide earned an A, while 24 percent earned a B. A total of 35 percent earned a C, seven received a D and less than 1 percent received an F. Hospitals receiving A grades included the following: Bayshore Medical Center (Holmdel)CarePoint Health-Bayonne Medical CenterChilton Medical Center (Pompton Plains)Englewood Hospital and Medical CenterHackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center (Westwood)Hunterdon Medical Center (Flemington)Inspira Medical Center ElmerInspira Medical Center VinelandJefferson Cherry Hill HospitalJefferson Stratford HospitalJefferson Washington Township HospitalMonmouth Medical Center (Long Branch)Morristown Medical CenterNewark Beth Israel Medical CenterNewton Medical CenterOcean Medical Center (Brick)Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at HamiltonRobert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset (Somerville)Saint Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston)Saint Clare's Hospital at DenvilleSaint Clare's Hospital at DoverSaint Michael's Medical Center (Newark)Saint Peter's University Hospital (New Brunswick)St. Luke's Warren Campus (Phillipsburg)The Valley Hospital (Ridgewood) East Orange General Hospital and St. Joseph's Wayne Medical Center each received D grades. View the list of New Jersey hospital ratings, and see how your local hospital fared. Leapfrog's safety grades are released by the nonprofit organization twice per year, in the spring and the fall. The ratings of more than 2,600 hospitals nationwide focus on accidents, injuries and infections, and help to assess how well a facility prevents medical errors and other harm to patients. The group determines the hospital grades by looking through safety data reported in 2018 and 2019. The safety grade is the only rating focused entirely on how well hospitals protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections. (You can read more about the letter grades here.) The report does not take into account the strain the coronavirus outbreak is placing on some hospitals, with shortages of drugs and protection equipment. "We see in the news every day the extraordinary courage of clinicians and staff caring for patients stricken by COVID-19," Binder said. "What's less apparent — yet equally laudable — are the untold efforts behind the scenes to protect patients. Hospitals' commitment to the fundamentals have saved lives too, like preventing infection, ensuring universal hand hygiene, and double and triple checking everything to avoid errors. We are grateful for the heroic efforts of hospitals across the Nation and applaud their efforts that are protecting our families."