Anne Arundel Medical Center Earns 'A' Grade For Patient Care: Report

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis was one of only seven hospitals in Maryland to receive top marks in the Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades report released Tuesday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog group.

This marks the fifth year in a row the hospital has earned the honor.

In Maryland, seven hospitals received an "A" grade, 14 hospitals received a "B" grade, 17 hospitals received a "C" grade and two hospitals received a "D" grade. No Maryland hospitals received an "F" grade.

Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center received its high mark for protecting patients from preventable harm and error in the hospital, a news release said.

“Thank you to our team of caregivers and volunteers for putting our patients first, with safety always at the forefront,” said Sherry Perkins, president of Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, in a statement. “To receive ‘Straight A’s’ for every grading cycle since 2018 demonstrates our continuing commitment to providing an outstanding patient experience.”

Related: MD Hospital Safety Grades 2022: The Best And Worst

UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie received a "B" grade in the report.

These are the other Maryland hospitals that earned an "A" grade:

• Garrett Regional Medical Center, Oakland
• MedStar St. Mary's Hospital, Leonardtown
• Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore
• The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
• University of Maryland Shore Medical Center at Easton, Easton
• University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to hospitals across the country based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“As our health care system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership of Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center for sustained commitment to patient safety, day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “An ‘A’ Safety Grade is an outstanding achievement, and one that is not possible without a 24/7 effort by the entire health care workforce to protect patients from harm. This community should be proud.”

The 2022 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 president and 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."

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.