Livingston Hospital Raising The Bar For NJ, Leapfrog Group Says

LIVINGSTON, NJ — Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston is raising the bar for hospitals in New Jersey when it comes to success on the Leapfrog Group’s biannual “safety grades.”

On Thursday, the nonprofit watchdog group announced its latest round of hospital grades. The group assigned an "A," "B," "C," "D," or "F" rating to more than 2,700 general acute-care hospitals in the U.S., based on their ability to “protect patients from errors, accidents and injuries.” Learn more about the methodology here.

Saint Barnabas Medical Center, a RWJBarnabas Health facility, was awarded its 19th consecutive “A” Hospital Safety Score rating, putting it in a select group of hospitals across the nation.

According to the Leapfrog Group, Saint Barnabas is the only hospital in the state – and one of just 27 in the entire nation – to earn an “A” in each report since its surveys began.

Nationwide, 33 percent of hospitals received an "A," 24 percent received a "B," 35 percent received a "C," 7 percent received a "D," and less than 1 percent received an "F" for the spring 2021 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.

Saint Barnabas President and CEO Stephen Zieniewicz said the hospital’s consistent performance on the Leapfrog grades shows the “commitment” of its physicians and other employees.

The latest round of grades was particularly rewarding, considering that it took place during the coronavirus crisis, he added.

“We thank our staff for their continued dedication in providing the best-in class care with both clinical expertise and compassion, especially during the immense challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Zieniewicz said.

• See related article: Workers At Saint Barnabas Hospital Earn 'Heroes Salute' (VIDEOS)

According to Leah Binder, president and CEO of the Leapfrog Group, performance measures used in this spring’s grades serve as a proxy for the safety of care provided to COVID-19 patients in several ways.

For example, a hospital with infection control procedures in place is better equipped to protect patients and health care workers, Binder said.

Additionally, staffing intensive care units with intensivists and monitoring hand hygiene compliance have been shown to “significantly reduce harm to patients, regardless of their condition,” Binder said.

“This pandemic emphasized how much we rely on America’s health care workforce,” Binder said. “Our straight ‘A’ hospitals remind us how preparedness protected their patients as well as their workforce and created a high level of organizational resilience. As we emerge from the pandemic, hospitals need to double down on safety, so they save lives, strengthen their organizations, and position themselves to withstand the next crisis. Putting safety first should be the priority of every hospital CEO.”

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