Princeton University Medical Center Earns 'B' in Hospital Safety Report

The University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro earned a grade of “B” from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit founded by employers and health-care providers, which announced its Spring 2016 rankings on Monday. The rankings measure how safe a hospital is for patients.

Leapfrog also conducted an analysis with researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine's Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. They estimated that 206,021 avoidable deaths occur each year in U.S. hospitals.

Hospitals were given a letter grade from A through F based on several factors. Of the 2,571 hospitals studied nationwide, 798 earned an A, 639 earned a B, 957 earned a C, 162 earned a D and 15 earned an F.

At the state level, New Jersey was No. 22. Vermont was No. 1 overall.

State rankings were based on a percentage of state hospitals receiving an A grade.

• See the full list of hospital safety scores here.

Leapfrog looked at medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections to determine the grades. The goal was to determine a patient's risk of further injury or infection if they visited a certain hospital.

To view University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro’s full score, click here.

Hospitals given a B rating by Leapfrog had a 9 percent higher risk of avoidable death than A hospitals. That number jumps to 35 percent in C hospitals and 50 percent higher in D and F hospitals.

The analysis estimates that 33,459 lives could be saved if every hospital improved their safety record to A standards. Still, the study estimates 43,903 avoidable deaths in A hospitals each year.

Rankings are released twice a year.