Several hospitals across the region have earned high marks for patient safety from the Leap Frog Group, an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety.
Doylestown Hospital earned an eighth consecutive “A” grade for patient safety in the spring 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade.
“The safety of our patients and our staff – especially now during a pandemic – is a continuous exercise in quality improvement,” Dr. said Scott Levy, vice president and chief medical officer. “Now more than ever, all the work and sustained efforts in the pursuit of quality have resulted in our ability to implement change and respond to the challenges associated with this pandemic.”
St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne also earned an “A” for patient safety.
“We are in unprecedented times as COVID-19 continues to challenge our hearts, minds and resources. As we adjust and stretch to support the changing health needs of our community during this time, safety remains constant,” said Dr. Larry Brilliant, president of St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne. “We are deeply moved to receive this recognition and appreciate the unwavering dedication of our staff to provide the highest quality of care for our patients.”
The Leapfrog Group also awarded top marks to several St. Luke’s University Network hospitals, including Bethlehem, Allentown, Anderson, Miners, Monroe and Warren.
“This ‘A’ rating is an important validation of St. Luke’s continued focus on and commitment to patient safety, which in light of COVD-19 is more important now than ever,” St. Luke’s Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer Donna Sabol said. “St. Luke’s superior safety ratings demonstrate that our facilities are safe and ready to treat patients even during this time of COVID-19.”
Hunterdon Medical Center was also honored with an “A” grade.
In the five overall categories, Hunterdon Medical Center achieved Best Hospital Scores in four areas including Problems After Surgery, Practices to Prevent Errors, Safety Problems, and Doctors, Nurses & Hospital Staff. It achieved Above Average Scores in the area of Infections. This year’s rating demonstrates an improvement over last fall’s “B” grade.
“The entire workforce of the nearly 3,000 caregivers who represent Hunterdon Healthcare places patient safety first and foremost in their performance every day. Our ‘A’ rating represents a commitment to patient safety and quality healthcare outcomes that meet not just our standards, but national ones,” stated Patrick Gavin, president, and CEO of Hunterdon Healthcare. “We will continue to strive to be among the best and safest hospitals in the nation because our patients and our community deserve the best and safest care.”
Developed under the guidance of a national expert panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 28 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.
To see full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit
hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter and Facebook.
