2 NJ Hospitals Received Failing Safety Grades In New Ranking

NEW JERSEY—

A new hospital safety report released Wednesday shows that 49 hospitals in New Jersey earned “A” grades for their ability to protect patients from often preventable harm.

The Leapfrog Group’s Spring 2026 Hospital Safety Grades are a biannual ranking that assigns “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” letter grades to all general hospitals in the United States based on their ability to protect patients from medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections.

“A” hospitals in NJ are:

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center – City Campus
AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center – Mainland Campus
Chilton Medical Center
Community Medical Center
Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Bayshore Medical Center
Hackensack University Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Mountainside Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Ocean University Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Riverview Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Southern Ocean Medical Center
Holy Name Medical Center
Hunterdon Medical Center
Inspira Medical Center Elmer
Inspira Medical Center Mullica Hill
Inspira Medical Center Vineland
Jefferson Washington Township Hospital
Monmouth Medical Center
Monmouth Medical Center Southern Campus
Morristown Medical Center
Newton Medical Center
Overlook Medical Center
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset
Saint Clare’s Hospital of Dover
Saint Michael’s Medical Center
Shore Medical Center
St. Joseph’s University Medical Center
St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center
St. Luke’s Warren Campus
St. Mary’s General Hospital
Virtua Marlton Hospital
Virtua Voorhees Hospital

“B” hospitals in NJ are:

AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center – Mainland Campus
CentraState Medical Center
Clara Maass Medical Center
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Health JFK University Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Old Bridge Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Palisades Medical Center
Hackensack Meridian Pascack Valley Medical Center
Inspira Medical Center Mannington
Jefferson Cherry Hill Hospital
Jefferson Stratford Hospital
Jersey City Medical Center
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center
Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital
Saint Clare’s Hospital of Denville
Saint Peter’s University Hospital
The Valley Hospital
Trinitas Regional Medical Center RWJBH
Virtua Willingboro Hospital
Virtua Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital

Additionally, two hospitals received a ‘D’ and 11 got a ‘C’ grade.

The stability at the top contrasts with broader movement in the middle tier, where several hospitals shifted between B and C grades, according to a Patch analysis of the data.

The state continues to rank sixth nationally for the share of A-rated hospitals, down from third place in the previous reporting cycle.

CareWell Health Medical Center in East Orange, received a D, with higher-than-expected patient harm and infection risk compared with national benchmarks.

The hospital recorded an overall harm score of 1.975, above the national average of 0.689.

Leapfrog data show elevated risk across several complication measures, including cases involving collapsed lungs, blood clots and surgical wounds reopening.

The report also flags concerns related to MRSA infections, indicating more infections than would be expected based on patient volume and local conditions.

The report also flagged gaps in patient experience and care processes.

CareWell scored 69 on handwashing compliance, below the national average of 74.64.

The survey cited a lack of communication with doctors and nurses, including discussions on proper medicines. Patient responsiveness measures also trailed peer hospitals.

Some safety measures met Leapfrog standards, including safe medication ordering and administration systems, nursing staffing levels, and C. difficile infection prevention.

The hospital also met standards for billing ethics and surgical safety checklist use.

Leapfrog said its biannual report — the only national ratings program focused exclusively on patient safety — shows improvement in 17 measures, including health care-associated infections, medication safety systems and patient experience.

“The good news is that hospitals across the country are making meaningful strides in patient safety and helping save countless lives,” Leah Binder, the group’s president and CEO, said in a news release.

After peaking in fall 2022, several health care-associated infections declined sharply, according to the report. Central line-associated bloodstream infections fell by half; catheter-associated urinary tract infections dropped 45 percent; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections declined 42 percent; and serious intestinal infections linked to antibiotic use went down 30 percent.

The report also found gains in medication safety. Use of computerized physician order entry systems, which can flag prescribing errors, rose from 66 percent of hospitals meeting Leapfrog standards in 2018 to 90 percent in 2025. Adoption of barcode medication administration systems increased from 47 percent to 93 percent over the same period.

Patient experience scores, measured through Medicare and other federal surveys, have improved since hitting a low in fall 2023, rising by about one point on average across five safety-related measures, including communication with nurses and doctors and responsiveness of hospital staff.

Among states, Connecticut, Virginia and South Carolina had the highest share of A-rated hospitals, followed by Utah, Montana, New Jersey, Florida, Maryland, North Carolina and California. Montana and Maryland entered the top 10 for the first time, while Florida rose from 15th place in fall 2025 to seventh. No hospitals in North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont or Wyoming received an A grade.

About 450 hospitals were not assigned grades after a federal court ruling in South Florida involving several facilities that did not participate in Leapfrog’s 2024 or 2025 survey. The group said it applied the change nationwide and is appealing the decision while reviewing its methodology.