Einstein Medical Center Gets 'C' Safety Grade: Nonprofit

NORRISTOWN, PA — The biannual grades have been released and in Pennsylvania, 44 hospitals received an A grade in hospital safety, according to new Spring 2019 ratings released by the Leapfrog Group.

Einstein Medical Center Montgomery was not among them, earning a 'C' score. Suburban Community Hospital earned a 'B.'

The nonprofit group found that of the more than 2,600 hospitals graded in the country, 32 percent earned an A grade, findings that were unchanged from the group's last round of rankings released in Fall 2018.

The rankings looked at various risk factors and safety precautions at hospitals, including infections, problems with surgery, safety issues, staff issues, and preventative practices.

The group estimates that if the risk at all hospitals was equivalent to what it is at "A" hospitals, 50,000 lives would have been saved. Overall, the researchers estimate that 160,000 lives are lost every year due to avoidable medical errors. That figure is down from 2016, when the Leapfrog Group estimated there were 205,000 avoidable deaths.

Nearby, Doylestown Hospital, Abington Memorial, Abington Health Lansdale, Chester County Hospital, and Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania received A grades.

For complete rankings for Pennsylvania, see here.