Nov 10, 2021 RWJUH Somerset Earns 7th Straight "A" Safety Score From Leapfrog Group

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, was awarded with an “A” Hospital Safety Score rating by the Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. The score marks RWJUH Somerset’s seventh consecutive “A” rating and thirteenth overall.

“Achieving an ‘A’ from the Leapfrog Group is a wonderful accomplishment and a great testament to our team’s dedication to excellence but to sustain that high level of care and maintain straight As in Leapfrog ratings since 2018 is truly remarkable,” said Tony Cava, president and chief executive officer, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset. “Safety comes first in every patient interaction throughout every area of our organization and that is reflected in our four-year streak of ‘A’ grades.”

“An ‘A’ Safety Grade is a tremendous achievement, of which this community should be extremely proud,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I thank the leadership and workforce of Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset for their commitment to prioritizing patients and their safety, especially during these trying times.”

The Leapfrog rating is one of several national recognitions Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has recently received for its quality care and commitment to patient safety. The hospital received the 2021 Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award, ranking among the top 5% in the nation for patient safety. U.S. News & World Report rated the hospital “high performing” in the care of patients with COPD, diabetes, heart failure, kidney failure and stroke. In addition, the hospital earned an “A” National Patient Safety Grade from the Lown Hospitals Index Awards and the Get with the Guidelines Stroke Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association.

The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospitals’ prevention of medical errors and other harms to patients in their care. Developed under the guidance of anational Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,700 U.S. acute-care hospitals. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

For more information on the Leapfrog Group and the fall 2021 scores, please visit:www.hospitalsafetyscore.org.

To learn more about Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset, visit www.rwjbh.org/somerset.