Morris County Hospital Earns Another 'A' Grade For Safety: Leapfrog

MORRISTOWN, NJ — A Morristown hospital is among a slew of New Jersey medical facilities that received the highest rating in the state for patient safety, according to newly-released ratings.

Each fall and spring, The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit watchdog, releases their safety grades to hospitals across the country. And Morristown Medical Center is the recipient of an “A” grade in the latest release.

This is the 17th such grade in a row for the hospital; it got an “A” in Leapfrog's spring rankings as well.

"These unprecedented grades for our hospitals underscore the commitment Atlantic Health System has toward safety," Scott Leighty, Executive Vice President and Chief Health System Officer, of Atlantic Health System previously said.

READ MORE: These Are NJ's Safest Hospitals, New Leapfrog Ratings Say

"Earning an 'A' Grade means Atlantic Health System made a true commitment to put patients first," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "We congratulate the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers that all had a role to play in this achievement."

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."

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.

Learn more about their methodology here.

Since 2012, Leapfrog has released safety grades twice per year, and Morristown Medical Center has received an "A" the past 17 times in a row.

Morristown Medical Center ranked average or above average in almost every category that Leapfrog assessed. The hospital only fell below average in the safety section, reporting a higher number of instances of air or gas bubbles in the blood and accidental cuts and tears in surgery.

To see Morristown Medical Center's full grade details and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter, Facebook and via its newsletter.

With reporting by Michelle Rotuno-Johnson,Patch Staff