NJ Hospital Safety Scores May Surprise You [AUDIO]

Not all hospitals are created equal, and patients can protect themselves from harm by demanding the best possible care. That message goes along with an updated scorecard on hospital safety.

The report from The Leapfrog Group, a patient safety watchdog, offers a letter grade to every hospital in the nation.

"We found that consumers do resonate with a grade of A through F," said Leapfrog's David Knowlton, also President of the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute.

New research suggests up to 440,000 people die each year from preventable hospital errors, making it the third-leading cause of death in the United States.

"How likely is it that they leave a surgical instrument in you when they close you?" Knowlton explained. "How likely is it that you'll catch a hospital-acquired infection? All of these are errors happen every day in America."

Knowlton said a hospital may be known for their talented physicians and state-of-the-art technology, but that doesn't mean it's the safest place for treatment.

Several New Jersey hospitals received an "A" grade in the fall and spring of this year:

• Bayonne Medical Center
• Cape Regional Medical Center, Cape May Court House
• Clara Maass Medical Center, Belleville
• Community Medical Center of Toms River
• Englewood Hospital and Medical Center
• Hackensack University Medical Center
• JFK Medical Center, Edison
• Kimball Medical Center, Lakewood
• LibertyHealth-Jersey City Medical Center
• Monmouth Medical Center, Long Branch
• Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Camden
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway
• Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital at Hamilton
• Saint Barnabas Medical Center, Livingston
• Saint Clare's Hospital of Denville
• Saint Clare's Hospital of Dover
• St. Francis Medical Center of Trenton
• University Medical Center at Princeton, Plainsboro
• Valley Hospital of Ridgewood

Every score in the nation is available through a free app called Leapfrog Hospital Safety Score.