April 24, 2018
Seventeen Philadelphia-area medical centers, out of 53 graded, received an “A” grade for hospital safety from the Leapfrog Group in its bi-annual report issued Tuesday. The report focuses on hospital errors, accidents, injuries and infections — which collectively, according to the nonprofit organization, are the third-leading cause of death in the United States.

In its latest report, the Leapfrog Group grades about 2,500 hospitals and 30 percent earned an “A,” 28 percent earned a “B,” 35 percent a “C,” 6 percent a “D” and 1 percent an “F.” The grades are determined using 27 measures of publicly available hospital-safety data.

“The national numbers on death and harm in hospitals have alarmed us or decades,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog. “What we see in the new round of safety grades are signs of many hospitals making significant improvements in their patient safety record.… Receiving an ‘A’ safety grade means a hospital is among the best in the country for preventing these terrible problems and putting their patients first, 24 hours a day.”

The Greater Philadelphia Business Coalition on Health serves as the Leapfrog Region Leader for southeastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. In the five-county Philadelphia region 38 hospitals graded and 12 were awarded an "A" 9 received a ‘B," 16 received a "C," and one received a "D."

“Our region’s hospitals all care about delivering safe care, but the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade data spotlight continued variation across the region – and the need for further investment of personnel and other resources to implement and sustain safe practices," said Neil Goldfarb, the coalition's president and CEO. "Our purchaser members are committed to promoting a high-performing healthcare system, and with 42 percent of hospitals receiving a ‘C’ grade, we know we can do better.”

Area hospitals to receive an “A” in Pennsylvania are:
Abington Health Lansdale Hospital
Bryn Mawr Hospital
Doylestown Hospital
Einstein Medical Center Montgomery
Grand View Health
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Penn Medicine Chester County Hospital
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
Jeanes Hospital
St. Mary Medical Center
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital
Thomas Jefferson University Hospital-Methodist Campus

In New Jersey, the local medical centers that received the top grade are:
Capital Health Medical Center-Hopewell Campus
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Jefferson Stratford Hospital
Jefferson Washington Township Hospital
Shore Medical Center

Binder said he believes the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades have spurred these improvement efforts. But, she added, “the hospitals achieving new milestones are doing the hard work, and we salute them as well as the leaders, researchers and organizations fighting every year for patient safety.”

Founded in 2000, the Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization created by large employers and other health care purchasers who work together on efforts to improve the quality, safety and cost of health care services in The United States. The full safety report is available here.

Click here for the Philadelphia Business Journal online article.