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Patient Safety: What Grade Did Your Hospital Get?

Posted April 24, 2018

Published by Michael L. Diamond of the Asbury Park Press

Monmouth Medical Center received an A grade from a hospital safety watchdog group, marking the seventh consecutive report card that the Long Branch hospital has aced.

It was one of four hospitals at the Jersey Shore that received the top mark from The Leapfrog Group, a health care advocacy organization. Four others received B’s. And one was incomplete.

 “We now have more A’s and B’s than we did six months ago,” said Linda Schwimmer, president and chief executive officer of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, who serves on the board of Leapfrog Group. “We are moving in an OK direction as opposed to the opposite.”

The Leapfrog Group is a coalition of big employers and other health care purchasers trying to call attention to hospital safety practices. It hopes to prompt hospitals to cut down on what it says are preventable errors that not only harm patients but also increase costs.

The Leapfrog Group estimates 200,000 people die each year because of  hospital errors.

It winds up with letter grades by looking at 27 safety measures, publishing them online twice a year. Some measures — like patient falls — are easily quantified. Other measures — like communication with doctors and nurses — come from patients’ perceptions.

One-third of New Jersey’s hospitals received A’s, ranking 17th nationwide. That was down from last fall, when 44 percent of New Jersey’s hospitals last fall received A’s, helping the state rank 11th.

University Hospital in Newark was given an F, the state’s first failing grade in the survey since St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark received an F two years ago. (Saint Michael’s since has improved to a C.)

Also notable: Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus in Lakewood, formerly known as Kimball Medical Center, didn’t have a large enough patient base for the group to assign a grade, a spokeswoman from the hospital said.

“Now what we need to do is focus on getting hospitals that scored lower than (A’s and B’s) to really focus on safety and quality measures at their facilities to ensure every one in New Jersey, when they go to a hospital facility, knows they are walking in the door and people are focused on safety and quality,” Schwimmer said.

How did your hospital fare?

 1. Bayshore Medical Center, Holmdel

Spring 2018: A

Fall 2017: A

2. CentraState Medical Center, Freehold Township

Spring 2018: B

Fall 2017: B

3. Community Medical Center, Toms River

Spring 2018: B

Fall 2017: B

4. Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune

Spring 2018: A

Fall 2017: B

5. Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch

Spring 2018: A

Fall 2017: A

6. Monmouth Medical Center, Southern Campus, Lakewood

Spring 2018: N/A

Fall 2017: C

7. Ocean Medical Center, Brick

Spring 2018: B

Fall 2017: B

8. Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank

Spring 2018: A

Fall 2017: A

9. Southern Ocean Medical Center, Stafford

Spring 2018: B

Fall 2017: A

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