Report Card Gives Clara Maass Top Rating

Belleville’s Clara Maass Medical Center continued to excel in overall safety in 2012, a report card issued by a health care quality organization revealed Wednesday.

In it’s annual survey, the national nonprofit The Leapfrog Group said the hospital maintained its A rating based on 26 benchmarks including preventable medical errors, accidents, injuries and infections for similar type national general acute-care hospitals, according to a report on NorthJersey.com.

But the hospital was not alone when garnering the top grade, the report said, as 40 percent of New Jersey's hospitals received A's from the organization.

Because of that positive feedback, the state was elevated from 15th to sixth place in national rankings of hospital safety.

"This type of improvement is precisely why we embrace transparency," said Kerry McKean Kelly, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Hospital Association. "To help us build on our ongoing quality efforts."

To see the full report, click here.