Here Is How Morristown Medical Center Ranks In New Jersey

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Morristown Medical Center is among the top hospitals in New Jersey, according to the Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades report released Tuesday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog group.

The most recent ratings reflect care provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Leapfrog Group and other organizations' research, the pandemic reversed years of progress in patient safety.

Morristown Medical Center received the highest possible safety rating of 'A,' as did four other Atlantic Health System hospitals in the Garden State.

“Safety is the foundation of extraordinary care and the heart of our trusted relationships
with patients and their families,” said Brian Gragnolati, President and CEO, of Atlantic Health
System. “Our thanks to Leapfrog for recognizing the tireless efforts of our talented
healthcare heroes, who put the safety and well-being of our patients first every day.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, grades general hospitals across the country with an "A," "B," "C," "D," or "F" based on over thirty national performance measures that reflect errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as the system's hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

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.

“As our health care system continues to feel the strain of the pandemic, I thank the
workforce and leadership of Atlantic Health System for sustained commitment to patient
safety, day in and day out,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.

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

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

All of Atlantic Health's A-rated facilities have received top marks for consecutive scoring periods, including Morristown Medical Center's 'A' grade since Fall 2015, Chilton Medical Center's 'A' since Fall 2018, Newton Medical Center's 'A' since Spring 2019, and Overlook Medical Center's 'A' since Spring 2021.

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.

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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