Jersey City Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility, has for the seventh consecutive time received an “A” Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit group measuring hospital safety and quality. Jersey City Medical is one of only 182 hospitals throughout the country to have consistently received an A grade for safety.
The scores, ranging from “A” to “F,” were calculated under the guidance of a blue ribbon panel of experts using publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections. The scores are designed to give the public information they can use to protect themselves and their families when they need to visit a hospital.
“Safety is our first pillar and it truly takes a team effort from our doctors, nurses and hospital staff to achieve this top ranking,” said Joseph Scott, President and Chief Executive Officer of Jersey City Medical Center. “We’re extremely proud of this achievement. Very few hospitals in New Jersey or around the country can point to this achievement.”
Leapfrog has said that the goal of its hospital safety report is to promote patient safety by providing information to consumers on how well hospitals are keeping patients safe from adverse events like infections, falls, and medication and surgical errors.
Of the 2,523 general acute care hospitals in the United States issued a Hospital Safety Score, 782 hospitals – or less than 31 percent – received “A” scores. In addition, 719 earned “B” scores, 859 were given “C” grades, 143 received “D” and 20 were given an “F.”
In addition to identifying 26 measures from among the safety measures publicly reported at the national level – such as falls and trauma, central line-associated bloodstream infections, severe pressure ulcers, and preventable complications from surgery – the panel also credited hospitals for having the procedures and protocols in place to prevent infections, errors and accidents. These include strong nursing leadership and engagement, hand hygiene practices, computerized physician order entry systems, adherence to medical and medication protocols, safety first organizational leadership and culture, and the proper ICU staffing.