[Princeton, NJ] Oct. 31, 2017 – The Leapfrog Group, a Washington D.C-based organization aiming to improve health care quality for consumers, employers and purchasers, announced today the October 2017 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, assigning A, B, C, D and F letter grades to general acute-care hospitals in the U.S. based on errors, accidents and infections.
In New Jersey, 68 hospitals were graded, and 30 were awarded an “A,” the highest letter grade, demonstrating these hospitals’ dedication to safe care. This helped New Jersey move from #15 to #11 in its national ranking for the percentage of A hospitals.
Several New Jersey health systems continued their high performance, namely Inspira Health Network, Jefferson Health (formerly Kennedy Health System), and Virtua Health System, all of which have maintained ‘A’ grades at each of their hospitals for at least the past three rounds of grading. In addition, three hospitals (Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, and two RWJBarnabas Health hospitals: Jersey City Medical Center and Saint Barnabas Medical Center) maintained their “straight A” status, maintaining an “A” grade since the grade’s inception in 2012.
The Hospital Safety Grade is calculated using several quality measures from various sources, one of which is the Leapfrog Hospital Survey. New Jersey has the highest rate of survey participation in 2017 for regions with over 50 targeted hospitals at 93.1% participation.
“On behalf of local employers and New Jersey residents, we actively promote public reporting on health care quality measures and are pleased to see such willingness by hospitals to be transparent on their safety and quality,” said Linda Schwimmer, President & CEO of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute. “We encourage people to check the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades and other information on Leapfrog’s website when choosing a hospital.”
The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute serves as the Regional Leader for Leapfrog in New Jersey and Linda Schwimmer, the Quality Institute’s President and CEO, serves on the Leapfrog Board of Directors.
“We applaud the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute’s continued commitment to improving the safety of patients in local hospitals,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade helps shed light on those hospitals that need improvement, but also celebrates those committed to making their communities safer.”
Twice per year, U.S. hospitals are assigned A, B, C, D and F grades by the Leapfrog Group. Of the 2,632 hospitals graded in Fall 2017, 832 earned an “A,” 662 a “B,” 964 a “C,” 159 a “D” and 15 an “F.” The Grades are calculated by top patient safety experts and are peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public.
For more information about the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade or to view a list of state rankings, please visit www.hospitalsafetygrade.org.
About the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
The New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute is the only independent, nonpartisan, multi-stakeholder advocate for health care quality in New Jersey. The Quality Institute’s mission is to undertake projects and promote system changes that ensure that quality, safety, accountability and cost-containment are closely linked to the delivery of health care services in New Jersey. Learn more about us at www.njhcqi.org and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
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 collects and transparently reports hospital 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.
CONTACT:
Carol Ann Campbell
New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute
973-567-1901
cacampbell@njhcqi.org
Ashley Duvall
Stern Strategy Group
(on behalf of The Leapfrog Group)
(908) 325-3865