New Hospital Safety Ratings: Southern Ocean Medical Center

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — Southern Ocean Medical Center was graded on its safety in The Leapfrog Group's annual fall safety grades.

The nonprofit health care watchdog group grades hospitals twice a year, assigning letter grades from "A" to "F" based on each hospital's ability to protect patients from preventable errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

Southern Ocean Medical Center, part of the Hackensack Meridian network, received a C for the fall. The hospital had received a C in 2020, a B in fall 2019 and an A in fall 2018.

Here is a look at how Southern Ocean Medical Center performed in the following five categories:

Infections

• MRSA Infection - Below Average
• C. diff Infection - Above Average
• Infection in the blood - Average
• Infection in the urinary tract - Above Average
• Surgical site infection after colon surgery - Below Average
• Sepsis infection after surgery - Below Average

Problems with Surgery

• Dangerous object left in patient's body - Below Average
• Surgical wound splits open - Above Average
• Death from serious treatable complications - Below Average
• Blood Leakage - Below Average
• Kidney injury after surgery - Below Average
• Serious breathing problem - Below Average
• Accidental cuts and tears - Above Average

Safety problems

• Harmful events - Below Average
• Dangerous bed sores - Below Average
• Patient falls and injuries - Above Average
• Falls causing broken hips - Below Average
• Collapsed lung - Above Average
• Dangerous blood clot - Above Average
• Air or gas bubble in the blood - Above Average

Practices to Prevent Errors

• Doctors order medications through a computer - Above Average
• Safe medication administration - Above Average
• Communication about medicines - Above Average
• Communication about discharge - Below Average
• Staff work together to prevent errors - Above Average

Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

• Effective leadership to prevent errors - Above Average
• Enough qualified nurses - Above Average
• Specially trained doctors care for ICU patients - Above Average
• Communication with doctors - Below Average
• Communication with nurses - Average
• Responsiveness of hospital staff- Below Average

It's worth noting the hospitals were graded during a time of pressure on the health care system due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"As the pandemic continues, we all have heightened awareness of the importance of hospitals in our communities and in our lives," said Leah Binder, president & CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "It is critical that all hospitals put patient safety first. Now we have more information on more hospitals than ever before, so people can protect themselves and their families."

The fall 2021 Hospital Safety Grade graded 2,901 facilities across the country, the most the group has graded. In New Jersey, 30 hospitals received an "A" grade, 16 hospitals received a "B" grade, 22 hospitals received a "C" grade and two hospitals received a "D" grade. No New Jersey hospitals received an "F" grade. Read more: New NJ Hospital Safety Ratings: 30 Get 'A' Grade, 2 Get 'D'

The Safety Grades reflect performance on more than 30 evidence-based measures of patient safety, including for the first time, post-operative sepsis, blood leakage, and kidney injury.

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is advised by an expert panel of leading patient safety authorities from across the country and receives guidance from the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. Grades are updated biannually in the fall and in the spring.

For more information about the Hospital Safety Grade, including details on individual hospital grades and state rankings, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

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