Leapfrog report shows local hospital safety rankings

Listen to this article

The latest Leapfrog scores are out for hospital safety rankings, and 57 hospitals in the state of Pennsylvania earned “A” ratings. 

In Pennsylvania, 131 hospitals were graded, and 57 earned an A, 32 earned a B, 35 earned a C, 7 earned a D, and none earned an F.   

Overall, Pennsylvania has 43.5% “A” hospitals, and the state ranks eighth in the country for percentage of “A” hospitals. 

According to the Lehigh Valley Business Coalition on Health Care, a number of Lehigh Valley area hospitals topped the list. 

• Geisinger Health System‘s Bloomsburg, Lewistown and Muncy Medical Center campuses 

• Lehigh Valley Health Network‘s Dickson City, Hecktown Oaks, Pocono, Schuylkill campuses 

• St. Luke’s University Health Network’s Allentown, Anderson, Bethlehem, Carbon, Easton, Miners, Monroe, Sacred Heart, and Upper Bucks campuses. All 11 of St. Luke’s campuses, including the Geisinger St. Luke’s campus in Orwigsburg and the Warren campus in Phillipsburg, NJ, earned an “A” safety grade. 

Earning “B” grades were: 

• Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest  

• Lehigh Valley Hospital–Hecktown Oaks 

• Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg. 

“Preventable medical errors remain a significant challenge in hospitals across the nation, and far too many people are harmed or killed every year as a result. We are proud of the 57 of hospitals in Pennsylvania that earned an A,” said Amanda Greene, vice president of programs and initiatives, LVBCH and Leapfrog regional leader. “We will continue to work with our community, our members and our hospital leaders to make sure patients always come first.” 

Hospitals commented on their rankings. 

“You know St. Luke’s is truly awesome because everyone is saying it,” said Donna Sabol, St. Luke’s senior vice president and chief quality officer. “This month it’s Leapfrog giving St. Luke’s A grades. Last month it was the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which ranked St. Luke’s the #1 health system in the country for quality and safety, ahead of the nationally renowned institutions Houston Methodist and the Mayo Clinic, which rounded out the top three.” 

“Jefferson Health’s mission is fundamentally about improving lives through compassionate, high-quality care. This recognition is a direct reflection of our commitment to prioritizing excellence in everything we do,” said Baligh R. Yehia, president of Jefferson Health, of which Lehigh Valley Health Network hospitals are now a part of. “Maintaining this standard of excellence in both access and quality is only possible because of the extraordinary efforts of all our colleagues, physicians, nurses, caregivers, and staff.” 

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only ratings program focused exclusively on accidents, errors, injuries and infections that harm or kill patients in hospitals. It is updated twice a year in the fall and spring