Clara Maass receives hospital-safety award

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Clara Maass Medical Center, a Barnabas Health facility, has received an “A” Hospital Safety Score from The Leapfrog Group, an independent, national, nonprofit group measuring hospital safety and quality, for the eighth consecutive time. Clara Maass Medical is one of only 133 hospitals throughout the country and eight in New Jersey to have received an A grade for safety each rating period.

“It is through the dedication and passion of each member of the medical staff and every employee to delivering the highest quality care with an unparalleled focus on patient safety that enables Clara Maass Medical Center to continue to achieve this national distinction,” said Mary Ellen Clyne, president and chief executive officer of Clara Maass Medical Center. “It is through their daily contributions that Clara Maass Medical Center is among the elite hospitals in the United States and provides you with nationally recognized care, right here, close to home.”

Developed under the guidance of Leapfrog’s blue ribbon expert panel, the Hospital Safety Score uses 28 measures of publicly available hospital-safety data to produce a single A, B, C, D, or F score, representing a hospital’s overall capacity to keep patients safe from preventable harm.

“Clara Maass Medical Center’s A grade is a powerful reminder of its commitment to putting patient safety above all else, and we are pleased to recognize the persistent efforts of your clinicians and staff to protect your patients,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, which administers the Hospital Safety Score. “Our families, neighbors, colleagues and friends deserve a hospital that will pull out all the stops to keep them safe, and we urge Clara Maass Medical Center and all other A hospitals to preserve and renew your commitment to safety year after year.”

More than 2,500 U.S. general hospitals were assigned scores in October 2015, with 773 hospitals receiving an A grade. The Hospital Safety Score is fully transparent, offering a full analysis of the data and methodology used in determining grades on the website.

Patients can also review their hospital’s past safety performance alongside its current grade on the Hospital
Safety Score site, allowing them to determine which local hospitals have the best track record in patient safety and which have demonstrated consistent improvement.

To see how Clara Maass Medical Center’s score compares locally and nationally, and to access consumer-friendly tips for patients, visit the newly updated hospital safety score website at www.hospitalsafetyscore.org. Consumers can also go to www.hospitalsafetyscore.org for a free download of the Hospital Safety Score mobile app. www.HospitalSafetyScore.org

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The Leapfrog Hospital Survey collects and transparently reports hospital performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information they need to make informed decisions. Hospital Safety Score, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents, and infections.