New NJ Hospital Safety Ratings: 30 Get 'A' Grade, 2 Get 'D'

NEW JERSEY — Numerous New Jersey hospitals received top safety marks while others didn't quite measure up in The Leapfrog Group's annual fall safety grades.

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.

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The fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade represents the largest set of hospitals ever graded with grades assigned to 2,901 facilities.

In New Jersey, 30 hospitals received an "A" grade, 16 hospitals received a "B" grade, 22 hospitals received a "C" grade and two hospitals received a "D" grade. No New Jersey hospitals received an "F" grade.

Here are the rankings, according to Leapfrog:

A

• Bayshore Medical Center
• Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
• Chilton Medical Center
• Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
• Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center
• Hackensack Meridian Ocean University Medical Center
• Hackensack University Medical Center
• Hunterdon Medical Center
• Inspira Medical Center Elmer
• Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill
• Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital
• Jefferson Stratford Hospital
• Jefferson Washington Township Hospital
• Jersey Shore University Medical Center
• Monmouth Medical Center
• Morristown Medical Center
• Newton Medical Center
• Overlook Medical Center
• Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center
• Riverview Medical Center
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
• Saint Clare's Hospital of Denville
• Saint Clare's Hospital of Dover
• Saint Peter's University Hospital
• St. Luke's Warren Campus
• St. Mary's General Hospital
• The Valley Hospital
• Virtua Voorhees Hospital

B

• Atlanticare Regional Medical Center-Mainland Campus
• Cape Regional Medical Center
• Capital Health Medical Center - Hopewell
• Capital Health Regional Medical Center
• CarePoint Health-Bayonne Medical Center
• Clara Maass Medical Center
• Community Medical Center
• Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center
• Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical Center
• Hackensack Meridian Raritan Bay Medical Center
• Inspira Medical Center Vineland
• Jersey City Medical Center
• Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus
• Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
• Saint Michael's Medical Center
• Virtua Marlton Hospital

C

• Atlanticare Regional Medical Center - City Campus
• CarePoint Health-Christ Hospital
• Carepoint Health-Hoboken University Medical Center
• CentraState Medical Center
• Cooper University Hospital
• East Orange General Hospital
• Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center
• Hackettstown Regional Medical Center
• Holy Name Medical Center
• Hudson Regional Hospital
• JFK University Medical Center
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center
• Salem Medical Center
• Shore Medical Center
• Southern Ocean Medical Center
• St. Francis Medical Center of Trenton
• Trinitas Regional Medical Center
• University Hospital
• Virtua Memorial Hospital
• Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
• Virtua Willingboro Hospital

D

• St. Joseph's University Medical Center
• St. Joseph's Wayne Medical Center

It's worth noting the hospitals were graded during a time of pressure on the health care system due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"As the pandemic continues, we all have heightened awareness of the importance of hospitals in our communities and in our lives," said Leah Binder, president & CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "It is critical that all hospitals put patient safety first. Now we have more information on more hospitals than ever before, so people can protect themselves and their families."

Across all states, highlights of findings from the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade include:

• Thirty-two percent of hospitals received an "A," 26 percent received a "B," 35 percent received a "C," 7 percent received a "D," and less than 1 percent received an "F.”
• The five states with the highest percentages of "A" hospitals are Virginia, North Carolina, Idaho, Massachusetts, and Colorado.
• There were no "A" hospitals in Delaware, Washington, DC, and North Dakota.

The Safety Grades reflect performance on more than 30 evidence-based measures of patient safety, including for the first time, post-operative sepsis, blood leakage, and kidney injury.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is advised by an expert panel of leading patient safety authorities from across the country and receives guidance from the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. Grades are updated biannually in the fall and in the spring.

For more information about the Hospital Safety Grade, including details on individual hospital grades and state rankings, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

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