COURT HOUSE – The Leapfrog Safety score has become the gold standard for measuring hospital safety. It is a ranking program based exclusively on evidence-based measures of a hospital’s ability to prevent medical errors and avoidable harm to patients.
Cape Regional Medical Center maintained its B grade obtained in the spring 2021 review period. Joining Cape Regional with a B grade is AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s mainland campus, which improved from a C grade in spring 2021. AtlantiCare Regional’s city campus maintained the same C grade it had received in the previous review period.
The most significant change came at Shore Medical Center, in Somers Point, which received a C grade. For Shore Medical Center, the C grade comes after seven straight reviews with a grade of A in six of them and one B.
A spokesperson for the hospital said the increase in the number of hospitals under review meant that “submissions for an A rating were extremely competitive. This increased competition for all hospitals ultimately leads to what we all want – safer hospitals and high-quality patient care for everyone.”
The hospital also noted that it “will continue to strive for excellence in all areas of patient care.”
The biannual grading program uses 30 measures of patient safety, including three new ones added in Fall 2021. The measurement of hospital safety is peer-reviewed, with free access for the public.
The fall 2021 grades were awarded to the largest set of hospitals ever graded, 2,901 facilities. Of these, 71 were hospitals in New Jersey, including the four hospitals that serve most patients in Cape May County.
Across all rated hospitals in New Jersey, there were 30 facilities with a grade of A, 16 with a grade of B, 22 that received a C, and two with a grade of D.
