Which are the safest, least safe hospitals in Central Jersey? The grades are in

Mike Deak, MyCentralJersey.com
·2 min read

Three Central Jersey hospitals saw their safety grades increased in the spring 2024 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Report while only two hospitals saw their grades go down.

Leapfrog is a national nonprofit representing hundreds of the nation’s most influential employers and purchasers of health care. The grades reflect preventable medical errors, accidents, injuries, and infections.

The three hospitals that saw an improvement in their grades from fall 2023 were:

  • St. Peter's University Hospital, New Brunswick, from B to A;

  • Hackensack Meridian Health JFK University Medical Center, Edison, from C to B;

  • Hackensack Meridian Health Raritan Bay Medical Center, Perth Amboy, from B to A;

The two hospitals that saw a decline in grades were:

  • Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, from B to C;

  • Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center, Plainsboro, from A to B.

Other Central Jersey hospitals maintained their grades:

  • Hunterdon Medical Center, Raritan Township, A;

  • Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Somerville, B;

  • Hackensack Meridian Health Old Bridge Medical Center, Old Bridge, B;

  • Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Rahway, A;

  • Morristown Medical Center, Morristown, A;

  • Overlook Medical Center, Summit, A.

The percentage of A and B New Jersey hospitals in the spring 2024 survey was 81%, compared to 76% last fall. There were 30 A hospitals, or 45%, of the state’s acute care hospitals. That’s six more A hospitals than last round.

Of the 67 New Jersey hospitals in the report, 13 hospitals went up a grade while 11 went down a grade.

New Jersey ranked third in the country for percentage of A hospitals, compared to 13th in fall 2023.

“The number of A and B hospitals highlights that we are, overall, doing well as a state,” said Adelisa Perez-Hudgins, director of quality for the Quality Institute, the Regional Leader in New Jersey and New York for Leapfrog. “The percentage speaks to the dedication of hospitals and health care teams that focus on patient safety and quality improvement.”

Leapfrog assigns a grade to nearly 3,000 hospitals across the country on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents, and infections.

Since the start of the COVID pandemic, patient experience nationwide has worsened. This spring survey shows the first sign of improvement with all measures related to patient experience significantly improving since fall 2023.

Additionally, since fall 2022, when hospital acquired infection rates were at their highest, 92% of U.S. hospitals have improved performance on at least one of three dangerous preventable infections: Central line-associated bloodstream infections; Catheter-associated urinary tract infections; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Email: mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

Mike Deak is a reporter for mycentraljersey.com. To get unlimited access to his articles on Somerset and Hunterdon counties, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ hospital safety grades