Safety Grade Drops For RWJ University Hospital Somerset

SOMERVILLE, NJ — For the first time in three years, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset's hospital safety rating dropped from an "A" grade to a "B" grade, according to the Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades report released Tuesday by The Leapfrog Group.

Previously the hospital rated an "A" grade seven times in a row.

"Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset is committed to a culture of safety as part of our journey toward becoming a high-reliability organization. We are constantly evaluating our performance to identify ways in which we can continue to enhance the quality of patient care," said Kathleen Roberts, a spokeswoman with RWJUH Somerset.

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 Leapfrog Group, a 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.

In New Jersey, 30 hospitals received an "A" grade, 16 got a "B," 19 earned a "C" and four received a "D."

Here is a look at how RWJ Somerset performed in the following five categories:

Infections

• MRSA Infection - Above Average
• C. diff Infection - Below Average
• Infection in the blood during ICU stay - Below Average
• Infection in the urinary tract during an ICU stay - Below Average
• Surgical site infection after colon surgery - Average
• Sepsis infection after surgery - Average

Problems with Surgery

• Dangerous object left in patient's body - Above Average
• Surgical wound splits open - Above Average
• Death from serious treatable complications - Above Average
• Blood Leakage - Below Average
• Kidney injury after surgery - Above Average
• Serious breathing problem - Above Average
• Accidental cuts and tears - Above Average

Safety problems

• Harmful events - Above Average
• Dangerous bed sores - Below Average
• Patient falls and injuries - Below Average
• Falls causing broken hips - Above Average
• Collapsed lung - Above Average
• Dangerous blood clot - Above Average
• Air or gas bubble in the blood - Above Average

Practices to Prevent Errors

• Doctors order medications through a computer - Above Average
• Safe medication administration - Above Average
• Handwashing - Above Average
• Communication about medicines - Below Average
• Communication about discharge - Below Average
• Staff work together to prevent errors - Above Average

Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

• Effective leadership to prevent errors - Above Average
• Enough qualified nurses - Above Average
• Specially trained doctors care for ICU patients - Above Average
• Communication with doctors - Below Average
• Communication with nurses - Above Average
• Responsiveness of hospital staff- Below Average

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

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.

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