New Jersey slipped from first place in the spring to 13th this fall for the number of hospitals earning top marks for its track record of keeping patients safe from mistakes, accidents and other harm, according to the Leapfrog Hospital Safety report card.
Twenty-four hospitals earned an A, or 11 fewer than in the last round, and 27 hospitals scored a B, 9 more than in the spring. There were 16 C’s, just one more than last time, according to the report.
The Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit made up of large employers and other health care purchasers, created the safety scores for hospitals in response to a 1999 Institute of Medicine report that found as many as 98,000 people die from preventable mistakes in hospitals each year. Leapfrog released the first round of grades in 2012.
