Bergen New Bridge among 30 NJ hospitals to get an 'A' for patient safety. See the list
Bergen New Bridge Medical Center in Paramus was one of 30 New Jersey hospitals to earn a top grade in the semiannual hospital safety ratings produced by the Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit that promotes hospital transparency and patient safety.
It was the first time the county-owned safety net hospital, operated for the last four years by a partnership of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Integrity House and CarePlus New Jersey Inc., had participated in the 20-year-old national rating program.
And it marked a milestone in the hospital’s turnaround from its days under previous operators as Bergen Regional Medical Center.
“We were eager to participate in this reliable independent safety assessment for the first time,” because of the hospital’s commitment to “equitable access to safe, effective, high-quality care to the diverse communities we serve," said Deborah Visconi, Bergen New Bridge CEO.
The county medical center has rebranded itself as a full-service facility, covered by managed-care plans, with 24/7 emergency and medical care in women’s health, cardiology, radiology and rehabilitation, as well as long-term care and mental and behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment.
New Jersey ranked ninth among the states in the percentage of hospitals receiving an “A” grade, with 43%.
The “A” safety rating should help assure the community of the high-quality, safe care provided at the medical center, Visconi said. The hospital is licensed for 164 medical and surgical beds, a nine-bed intensive care unit and 323 psychiatric beds. It also has a 575-bed long-term care division.
Among the other North Jersey hospitals receiving “A” grades were Hackensack University Medical Center, Englewood Health, The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, Chilton Medical Center in Pompton Plains, Hackensack Meridian Health Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, St. Clare’s hospitals in Denville and Dover, St. Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic, Morristown Medical Center, Overlook Medical Center in Summit and Newton Medical Center.
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Sixteen New Jersey hospitals received “B” grades, including Clara Maass Medical Center in Belleville; CarePoint Health-Bayonne Medical Center; Hackensack Meridian Health Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen; Jersey City Medical Center; Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and St. Michael’s Medical Center in Newark.
Twenty-two hospitals received “C” grades, including Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck; Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, part of RWJBarnabas Health; CarePoint Health-Christ Hospital in Jersey City; CarePoint Health-Hoboken University Medical Center; Hackensack Meridian Health Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair; East Orange General Hospital; Hudson Regional Hospital in Secaucus and University Hospital in Newark.
And the two hospitals that received “D” grades were St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson and St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center.
The Leapfrog group was founded by employers and public health experts 20 years ago to promote progress in patient safety and the prevention of medical errors through open reporting of hospital performance measures. This month, nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide received a letter grade through its Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade program.
Lindy Washburn is a senior health care reporter for NorthJersey.com. To keep up-to-date about how changes in health care affect you and your family, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: washburn@northjersey.com
Twitter: @lindywa
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ hospitals: Bergen New Bridge earns an A for safety
