RWJ University Hospital Somerset Earns Another 'B' Grade For Safety

SOMERVILLE, NJ — For the fourth time in a row, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset received a "B" grade in hospital safety, according to the fall 2023 hospital safety grades released Monday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit healthcare watchdog.

Prior to 2022, the hospital in Somerville received rated an "A" grade seven times in a row.

"Patient safety is at the forefront of everything that we do at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset. As reflected in the Fall 2023 Leapfrog Hospital Safety scores, the hospital continues to perform above average on metrics such as surgical complications, handwashing, medication safety and doctors ordering medications through a computer," said a spokeswoman with RWJ Somerset. "We also rated high for effective leadership to prevent errors, staff working together to prevent errors and having specially trained doctors to care for ICU patients. We are committed to a culture of continuous improvement and are dedicated to ensuring that our patients receive the highest quality medical care."

The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit health care watchdog group, used an academic grading scale with five letter grades to score nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide on how well they prevent medical errors, accidents and infections. Overall, the report shows hospitals significantly reduced infections after the pandemic spike, but patient-reported experiences declined for the second year in a row.

Among 67 New Jersey hospitals evaluated in the report, 24 received the gold-standard “A” safety grade. Another 27 earned a “B,” 16 earned a “C” and zero hospitals earned a “D" or an "F."

Here is a look at how RWJ University Hospital Somerset performed in the following five categories:

Infections

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

Problems with Surgery

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

Safety problems

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

Practices to Prevent Errors

• Doctors order medications through a computer - Better Than Average
• Safe medication administration - Better Than Average
• Handwashing - Better Than Average
• Communication about medicines - Average
• Communication about discharge - Worse Than Average
• Staff work together to prevent errors - Better Than Average

Doctors, Nurses and Hospital Staff

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

The Leapfrog Group grades hospitals twice a year. In the fall report, the first report using post-pandemic data, 30 percent of hospitals nationwide earned an “A,” 24 percent earned a “B,” 39 percent earned a “C,” 7 percent earned a “D,” and fewer than 1 percent earned an “F.”

Leapfrog says its hospital rating system is the only one in the country focusing solely on a hospital’s ability to protect patients from preventable errors.

— With reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson,Patch Staff