UM St. Joseph Medical Center Receives A Grade For Minimizing Preventable Harm And Errors

TOWSON - The University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson received its eighth 'A' grade for hospital safety, demonstrating the center's excellence in caring for patients and minimizing preventable harm and errors.

The spring 2023 hospital safety grades for 35 Maryland hospitals were released Wednesday by The Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit healthcare watchdog.

The Leapfrog Group uses an academic grading scale with five letter grades to score nearly 3,000 hospitals nationwide on more than 30 patient safety measures. Leapfrog says its hospital rating system is the only one in the country focusing solely on a hospital's ability to protect patients from preventable errors.

UM, Saint Joseph was one of only six Maryland hospitals to receive an A grade. Thomas B. Smyth, MD, President and Chief Executive Officer, UM St. Joseph Medical Center, said that this achievement reflects the dedication of the hospital's staff.

"UM St. Joseph is proud to be once again recognized for our staff's unwavering focus on patient safety," Smyth said. "This continuing Leapfrog Grade 'A' recognition is a sign to our patients, our colleagues, and our community that we are a trusted and reliable health care provider. Our community can feel confident that UM St. Joseph is committed to providing loving service and safe, high-quality, compassionate care now and always."

This latest ranking reflects hospital performance during the pandemic when many hospitals were overwhelmed, and some safety measures fell by the wayside. Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group, said that UM Saint Joseph's grade reflects their commitment to maintaining patient safety despite the additional challenges presented by the pandemic.

"This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic," Binder said. "UM, St. Joseph received an 'A' despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers, and clinicians who together made that possible."

Here are the ratings for all Maryland hospitals, according to Leapfrog:

A

• University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center, Towson
• The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore
• Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center, Silver Spring
• Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center, Annapolis
• MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, Baltimore
• MedStar Good Samaritan Hospital, Baltimore

B

• University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore
• Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore
• MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center, Baltimore
• Suburban Hospital, Bethesda
• MedStar St. Mary's Hospital, Leonardtown
• Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore
• MedStar Harbor Hospital, Baltimore
• CalvertHealth Medical Center, Prince Frederick
• Northwest Hospital, Randallstown
• UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Glen Burnie
• Luminis Health Doctors Community Medical Center, Lanham
• Adventist HealthCare Fort Washington Medical Center, Fort Washington
• Holy Cross Germantown Hospital, Germantown

C

• Holy Cross Hospital, Silver Spring
• UM Harford Memorial Hospital, Havre de Grace
• Ascension Saint Agnes Hospital, Baltimore
• Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Baltimore
• MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, Olney
• ChristianaCare - Union Hospital, Elkton
• Carroll Hospital Center, Westminster
• University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, La Plata
• University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus, Baltimore
• Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Towson
• Howard County General Hospital, Columbia
• University of Maryland Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, Bel Air
• MedStar Southern Maryland Hospital Center, Clinton
• Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center, Rockville

D

• University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center, Upper Marlboro
• Frederick Health Hospital, Frederick

F

None