CHESTER COUNTY — Two Chester County hospitals earned a grade of A for patient health care safety in a report issued Tuesday by the Leapfrog Group, an independent nonprofit healthcare watchdog group.

Chester County Hospital, West Chester, and Paoli Hospital, Tredyffrin and Willistown townships, earned top honors in the Spring 2022 Hospital Safety Grades.

In Pennsylvania, only 62 hospitals received an A grade.

"This award represents the hard work our frontline staff do each day," said Michael Duncan, president and CEO of Chester County Hospital. "They dedicate their lives to their patients and make safety a number one priority.

Duncan said the score reflects commitment to reducing errors, infections and accidents that can harm patients.

"This ranking demonstrates the commitment we have to delivering quality and safe care to our friends, families, and neighbors," Duncan said.

In fiscal year 2021, Chester County Hospital treated 15,444 inpatients and 40,634 patients in the emergency room.

The hospital has 309 beds, employs 2,650 people, and has 832 physicians.

The hospital opened in 1832 with 10 beds and joined the University of Pennsylvania Health System in 2013.

In 2020, the hospital completed an expansion project which included 15 operating suites, a 99-bed patient tower, a new entrance and a renovated emergency room.

Paoli Hospital, founded in 1923, is part of the Main Line Health network.

Other hospitals in the network, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Montgomery County, and Riddle Hospital, Delaware County, also recieved a top grade A. Lankenau Medical Center,Montgomery County, recieved a grade B.

Paoli Hospital has 231 beds and is a Level II trauma center.

"These grades continue to reflect our longstanding commitment to patient safety and quality enhancement, and we're extremely proud to have once again received this top recognition," said Jack Lynch, III, president and CEO at Main Line Health. "Our hospitals are committed to ensuring the safety of our patients and staff with process improvement tools in place to continually enhance outcomes in measurable ways."

Lynch said he is confident in Lankenau's ability to provide the highest quality of care as it continues its upward trajectory in positively impacting future safety grades.

Paoli Hospital is known for orthopedics, pulmonary and lung surgery, urology, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, back surgery, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, hip fracture, kidney failure, and knee replacement.

Not all at the top

Phoenixville Hospital was one of seven hospitals to receive a grade of D. Representatives of Phoenixville Hospital were unavailable for comment.

The latest nationwide ratings reflect care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic reversed years of progress in patient safety, according to research from The Leapfrog Group.

The pandemic has had a negative effect on "health care delivery at every level and setting, from staffing shortages to increased infections, to the very care patients receive," according to the Adult Patient Experience at Acute Care Hospitals survey, also released Tuesday by The Leapfrog Group.

"The health care workforce has faced unprecedented levels of pressure during the pandemic, and as a result, patients' experience with their care appears to have suffered," Leapfrog Group president and CEO Leah Binder said in a news release.