2 Union County Hospitals Get 'A' Safety Grade, 1 Gets 'C' Grade

UNION COUNTY, NJ — Three Union County hospitals were among New Jersey hospitals to be graded in the spring 2023 hospital safety grades released Wednesday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care 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.

"These unprecedented grades for our hospitals underscore the commitment Atlantic Health System has toward safety," said Scott Leighty, Executive Vice President and Chief Health System Officer, Atlantic Health System, which includes Overlook. "It’s a clear reflection of the quality care and attention to safety that patients and their loved ones receive each day from our talented physicians, nurses, leaders and other team members across each of our medical centers."

"The Leapfrog ratings reflect our staff’s commitment to providing the highest quality of
care for patients," said Kirk Tice, President and Chief Executive Officer of RWJUH Rahway.
"Earning an ‘A’ rating showcases the dedication both physicians and staff demonstrate on a
daily basis here at RWJUH Rahway. We are proud to deliver the best care possible to every
patient."

"At Trinitas Regional Medical Center, patient safety is our priority. Moving forward on our journey toward becoming a high reliability organization, we continue to evaluate opportunities for improvement and implement best practices," said John D’Angelo, DO, Vice President, Chief Medical & Chief Quality Officer, Trinitas Regional Medical Center.

The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit healthcare 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, 31 hospitals received an A, 17 hospitals received a B, 11 hospitals received a C and zero hospitals received a D grade. No hospitals received an F. To see a full listing of how NJ hospitals ranked click here.

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

Infections

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

Problems with Surgery

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

Safety problems

• Harmful events - Above Average
• Dangerous bed sores - Above Average
• Patient falls and injuries - Above Average
• Falls causing broken hips - Above Average
• Collapsed lung - Worse Than 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 - Above Average
• Communication about discharge - Worse Than 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 - 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 - Above Average
• C. diff Infection - Above Average
• Infection in the blood - Above Average
• Infection in the urinary tract - Average
• Surgical site infection after colon surgery - Worse Than Average
• Sepsis infection after surgery - Above Average

Problems with Surgery

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

Safety problems

• Harmful events - Above Average
• Dangerous bed sores - Above Average
• Patient falls and injuries - Above Average
• Falls causing broken hips - Above Average
• Collapsed lung - Worse Than Average
• Dangerous blood clot - Worse Than 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 - Worse Than Average
• Communication about medicines - Worse Than Average
• Communication about discharge - 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 - Worse Than Average
• Communication with nurses - Above Average
• Responsiveness of hospital staff - Worse Than Average

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

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

Problems with Surgery

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

Safety problems

• Harmful events - Worse Than Average
• Dangerous bed sores - Worse Than Average
• Patient falls and injuries - Worse Than Average
• Falls causing broken hips - Above Average
• Collapsed lung - Above Average
• Dangerous blood clot - 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 - Worse Than Average
• Communication about medicines - Worse Than Average
• Communication about discharge - Worse Than Average
• Staff work together to prevent errors - Above Average

Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

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

High rates of three health care-associated infections, or HAIs, “should stop hospitals in their tracks,” Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said in a news release, noting that “infections like these can be life for death for some patients.”

“We recognize the tremendous strain the pandemic put on hospitals and their workforce, but alarming findings like these indicate hospitals must recommit to patient safety and build more resilience,” Binder said.

The problematic infections are Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA; central line-associated bloodstream infections, or CLABSI; and catheter-associated urinary tract infections, or CAUTI. When compared to rankings that covered the period immediately before the COVID-19 outbreak, the analysis found an increased infection ratio for all three infections. The spring 2023 rankings cover late 2021 and 2022.

However, another such infection, Clostridioides difficile, or C.Diff, improved and there was no significant change for surgical site infections post surgery, the report said. The standardized infection ratio used to measure changes in the rates of infections compares the actual number of reported infections to the predicted number at each hospital.

“Not only are HAIs among the leading causes of death in the U.S., they also increase length of hospitalization stays and add to costs,” Binder said. “Our pre-pandemic data showed improved HAI measures, but the spring 2023 Safety Grade data spotlights how hospital responses to the pandemic led to a decline in patient safety and HAI management.”

Patient experience measures included communication with nurses and doctors, staff responsiveness, and communication about medicine and discharge information. Nationally, the average of all five measures declined when compared to pre-pandemic measures, according to the report.

Patch's national desk contributed to this report.