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The basics:

• ADA, Leapfrog Group honor 36 hospitals for diabetes patient safety
• Hackensack Meridian, Somers Point represent NJ
• Recognized for protocols in glucose testing, surgery prep and discharge

For the second year, the American Diabetes Association and The Leapfrog Group are recognizing leading hospitals for patient safety in diabetes care. 

Of the 36 health care providers across 12 states named 2025 Recognized Leaders in Caring for People Living with Diabetes, three are based in New Jersey. 

According to The Leapfrog Group, the list – released June 4 – is the first national program that recognizes hospitals for providing safe and high-quality care for people living with diabetes.

Facilities are invited to apply to the program. The assessment is based on the ADA’s guidelines for the treatment of people with diabetes, along with The Leapfrog Group’s standards for excellence in hospital safety and quality.

Errors in medication administration, inadequate discharge planning or exposure to infections add further risk to hospitalized diabetic patients, who already face heightened risks of severe complications, including amputations, comas and even death, the organizations said. 

The recognized hospitals provide safe, high-quality care for people living with diabetes by implementing: 

• Blood glucose testing and hypoglycemia protocols; 
• Specialized preparation for inpatient surgery, meals and insulin regimen planning; 
• Robust discharge planning for high-risk people with diabetes.

“We congratulate these hospitals for demonstrating their commitment to patient safety and improving the lives of people living with diabetes,” Dr. Osagie Ebekozien, chief quality officer, ADA, said in a statement. “Moving evidence-based standards of care into practice opens doors to improved quality outcomes for people living with diabetes.” 

“Protecting people from medical errors and infections is a major challenge in American hospitals, and it’s even more of challenge when a person is living with diabetes. So much can go wrong so quickly,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group.  

“We congratulate this year’s recognized leaders for their pioneering approach to ensuring vigilance in protecting these people,” Binder added. 

State honorees 

The New Jersey hospitals that earned the Recognized Leader in Caring for People Living with Diabetes designation for 2025 are: 

• Hackensack Meridian Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack
• Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune
• Shore Medical Center, Somers Point

The remaining award-winning facilities are located in: 

• Pennsylvania (9)
• California (6)
• North Carolina (6)
• New York (3)
• Florida (2)
• Texas (2)
• Colorado (1)
• Louisiana (1)
• Ohio (1)
• Tennessee (1)
• Washington (1)

What they’re saying 

Hackensack Meridian Health applauded its facilities named to the list in a June 6 announcement. 

“This designation … recognizes hospitals that meet the most rigorous standards for delivering safe, high-quality care to patients with diabetes,” the statement said. “Among this elite group, Hackensack University Medical Center and Jersey Shore University Medical Center stand out as two of just 36 hospitals across 12 states in the U.S.”

Shore Medical Center is a 196-bed, independent, nonprofit acute care community facility. The hospital noted it was the only one in South Jersey to earn the recognition in a June 5 announcement. 

“We are incredibly proud to be recognized as a national leader in caring for people living with diabetes,” said Valerie DeJoseph, administrative director of quality, medical staff services & regulatory at Shore Medical Center. “From implementing standardized hypoglycemia protocols to strengthening discharge planning and surgical preparation for diabetic patients, our team has worked tirelessly to ensure excellence in every aspect of inpatient diabetes care.”