2 Union Co. Hospitals Get 'A' Safety Grade, 1 Gets 'C' For Fall 2023

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Three Union County hospitals were among New Jersey hospitals to be graded in the fall 2023 hospital safety grades released Monday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit healthcare watchdog.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway at 865 Stone St., in Rahway, and Overlook Medical Center at 99 Beauvoir Ave., in Summit, both received "A" safety ratings. While Trinitas Regional Medical Center at 225 Williamson St., in Elizabeth, received a "C" rating.

"At Atlantic Health System the safety of our patients and team members is always a top priority," said Scott Leighty, Executive Vice President and Chief Health System Officer, Atlantic Health System. "Recognitions like this from a respected organization like The Leapfrog Group, send a powerful message that our nationally respected physicians, nurses, leaders and other team members are tireless in their pursuit of excellence."

"Earning an 'A' Grade means Atlantic Health System made a true commitment to put patients first," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "We congratulate the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement."

"Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway is proud of this recognition. The Leapfrog Group score is representative of our organization’s commitment to creating a safe environment for our patients and their families," states Kirk Tice, President and CEO at RWJUH Rahway.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog group, used an academic grading scale with five letter grades to score nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents and infections. Overall, the report shows hospitals significantly reduced infections after the pandemic spike, but patient-reported experiences declined for the second year in a row.

Among 67 New Jersey hospitals evaluated in the report, 24 received the gold-standard “A” safety grade. Another 27 earned a “B,” 16 earned a “C” and zero hospitals earned a “D" or an "F."

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

Infections

• MRSA Infection - Worse Than Average
• C. diff Infection - Better Than Average
• Infection in the blood - Better Than Average
• Infection in the urinary tract - Better Than Average
• Surgical site infection after colon surgery - N/A
• Sepsis infection after surgery - Average

Problems with Surgery

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

Safety problems

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

Practices to Prevent Errors

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

Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

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

Here is a look at how Overlook Hospital performed in the following five categories:

Infections

• MRSA Infection - Better Than Average
• C. diff Infection - Better Than Average
• Infection in the blood - Average
• Infection in the urinary tract - Average
• Surgical site infection after colon surgery - Average
• Sepsis infection after surgery - Better Than Average

Problems with Surgery

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

Safety problems

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

Practices to Prevent Errors

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

Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

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

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

Infections

• MRSA Infection - Average
• C. diff Infection - Average
• Infection in the blood - Average
• Infection in the urinary tract - Average
• Surgical site infection after colon surgery - N/A
• Sepsis infection after surgery - Average

Problems with Surgery

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

Safety problems

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

Practices to Prevent Errors

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

Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

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

The Leapfrog Group grades hospitals twice a year. In the fall report, the first report using post-pandemic data, 30 percent of hospitals nationwide earned an “A,” 24 percent earned a “B,” 39 percent earned a “C,” 7 percent earned a “D,” and fewer than 1 percent earned an “F.”

Leapfrog says its hospital rating system is the only one in the country focusing solely on a hospital’s ability to protect patients from preventable errors.

— With reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson,Patch Staff