Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Ratings: Ocean University Medical Center

BRICK, NJ — The Leapfrog Group released its spring hospital safety grades, and Ocean University Medical Center received an A for the seventh-straight survey.

The nonprofit health care watchdog group grades hospitals twice a year, assigning letter grades from "A" to "F" based on each hospital's ability to protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

Ocean University Medical Center was one of 30 New Jersey hospitals that received top marks in the Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades report released Tuesday.

The latest ratings reflect care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Leapfrog Group said its and other groups' research showed 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.

Read more: New Jersey Hospital Safety Grades 2022: The Best And Worst

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.

Ocean University Medical Center received solid scores across the board, with a handful of below-average scores, in MRSA infections, surgical problems (wounds splitting open, with 0.93 per 1,000 vs. an average of 0.86; kidney injury, 1.47 per 1,000 vs. 1.42 average; and serious breathing problem, 5.26 per 1,000 vs. 5.18 average), and safety problems (patient falls 0.445 to 0.42 average, falls causing broken hips, 1.19 to 0.09, and dangerous blood clots, 3.78 to 3.61 average). The full scores can be read here.

“I am incredibly proud of Hackensack Meridian Health’s hospitals for everything our team members are doing to enhance patient safety and provide high-quality, compassionate care,” said Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health. “They have been fighting on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and are working tirelessly to keep the patients and communities we serve healthy and safe. I want to congratulate them on this well-deserved recognition.”

“As our health care system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the workforce and leadership at these Hackensack Meridian Health hospitals for their 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," Binder said.

“Our team members are continuing to transform the way care is delivered by striving for excellence and enhancing quality and safety standards across the network. We are honored to receive this recognition and will continue to do everything we can to provide exceptional care to our patients,” said Jose Azar, M.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Quality Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health.

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.

Note: This has been updated with comment from Hackensack Meridian Health.