For Immediate Release, Contact: Carol Ann Campbell, cacampbell@njhcqi.org (973-567-1901)
Embargoed until 12:01 a.m. EST on November 10, 2021
PRINCETON – November 10, 2021 – The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care, driven in New Jersey by the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, today announced the fall 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades.
The independent grading system assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over thirty national measures of preventable errors, injuries, accidents, and infections. The fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade represents the largest set of hospitals ever graded with grades assigned to 2,901 facilities across the country.
New Jersey is the only state in the country with 100 percent hospital participation in the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. New Jersey ranks 9th in the country for percentage of A hospitals as compared to 14th in the country for the Spring 2021 round.
“At the Quality Institute, we appreciate that every general hospital in New Jersey participated in the Leapfrog survey despite the real challenges of the past year and a half,” said Linda Schwimmer, President and CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. “Our hospitals continued to show their commitment to quality, safety and transparency despite the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Data that go into the Safety Score are collected from the Leapfrog Hospital Survey as well as from other publicly reported sources, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The unique circumstances surrounding the pandemic prompted some of these other sources to modify their collection processes and, as a result, some data come from different reporting periods.
Here is the breakdown of the Fall 2021 Leapfrog Safety Grade data: 70 New Jersey hospitals were graded. Two new hospitals that were included in the Fall 2021 safety grades include Bergen New Bridge Medical Center and Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill.
- 30 A hospitals – 43 percent (4 more A’s than last round)
- 16 B hospitals – 23 percent (10 fewer B’s than last round)
- 22 C hospitals – 31 percent (7 more C’s than last round)
- 2 D hospital – 3 percent (1 more D than last round)
- 0 F hospital – 0 percent (same number of F’s as last round)
Forty-six of the 70 hospitals graded received an A or B grade, which is 10 percent fewer than last round. Twelve hospitals went up a grade; 17 hospitals went down a grade. Two hospitals went down by two grades: Saint Barnabas Medical Center and Shore Medical Center both went from an A to a C. The hospitals with D grades were St. Joseph’s University Medical Center and St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center.
The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harms to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.
“The Leapfrog Group thanks the health care workers in New Jersey and nationwide who work so hard for their communities. It’s important we recognize excellence, especially in times like these. But it’s also important to know when hospitals fall short because lives are at stake,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We see every day how hospitals can and will improve their safety when patients make clear it’s important to them.”
For more information about the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, as well as individual hospital grades and state rankings, please visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Facebook and Twitter.
About the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute’s (Quality Institute) mission is to improve the safety, quality, and affordability of health care for everyone. Our membership comes from all stakeholders in health care. Together with our 100 plus members, we are working toward a world where all people receive safe, equitable, and affordable health care and live their healthiest lives
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About The Leapfrog Group
Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.