ICYMI: Ocean Medical Center Receives A Grade For Patient Safety: Group

BRICK, NJ — Ocean Medical Center in Brick Township has received an A grade for patient safety from a nonprofit founded by employers and healthcare providers, the organization announced Wednesday.

The Leapfrog Group, which has been ranking hospitals for several years, announced its Spring 2017 safety grades for hospitals across the nation, including 68 in New Jersey.

The hospitals were given a letter grade from A through F based on several factors, including medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections. The goal is to determine what a patient's risk of further injury or infection is if they visit a certain hospital, the organization says.

According to the organization, more than 1,000 Americans die each day from preventable hospital errors. 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.

Ocean Medical Center was one of 27 hospitals to receive an A and one of two in Ocean County to receive one. Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin also received an A. Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus in Lakewood, formerly known as Kimball Medical Center, received a C, as did Community Medical Center in Toms River.

Ocean Medical Center received mostly positive scores in all five categories: infections, problems with surgery, practices to prevent errors, safety problems and doctors, nurses and hospital staff. But in each category, there were one or two items that needed attention, including MRSA infections, infections in the blood and dangerous blood clots. But the hospital received high marks on safety training and safety procedures to prevent problems.

Read the full score report here.

Image via Shutterstock