ABOUT 100 TOP HOSPITALS: CARDIOVASCULAR BENCHMARKS

This annual study identifies the nation's top providers of cardiovascular service, using the two most recent years of data.

Findings

Cardiovascular hospitals are providing real value to their communities. This year’s 100 Top Hospitals: Cardiovascular Benchmarks winners show:

  • A full 12% lower cost in treating cardiovascular patients while providing higher quality care.
  • Significantly lower 30-day mortality rates than peer hospitals.
  • Significantly lower readmission rates within 30 days for patients with heart failure and heart attacks and the same rate of readmissions for open heart surgery.
  • Better clinical efficiency, with patients returning to daily life an average two-thirds of a day earlier than in peer hospitals.
  • Mortality rates for cardiovascular care across all hospitals are declining so much that 97 percent of cardiovascular patients who receive inpatient care are surviving, and more than 99 percent are complication-free.

Methods

This study focuses on general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals. In this study, we focused on hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients, including those undergoing:

  1. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
  2. Heart failure (HF)
  3. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI)
  4. Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)


The data come from public sources — the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data set, the Medicare Cost Report, and the CMS Hospital Compare data set. We assign each hospital to one of three peer groups according to its teaching and residency program status:

  • Teaching Hospitals with Cardiovascular Residency Programs
  • Teaching Hospitals without Cardiovascular Residency Programs
  • Community Hospitals
The performance measures used in the 2008 study are:
  1. Risk-Adjusted Medical (AMI and HF) Patient Mortality Index
  2. Risk-Adjusted Surgical (PCI and CABG) Patient Mortality Index
  3. Risk-Adjusted Complications Index (includes post-operative hemorrhages and post-operative infections)
  4. Core Measures Score (includes AMI and HF core measures)
  5. Percentage of CABG Patients with Internal Mammary Artery Use
  6. Procedure Volume Threshold
  7. Severity-Adjusted Average Length of Stay
  8. Severity- and Wage-Adjusted Cost per Case


For full details, download the most recent 100 Top Hospitals Cardiovascular study abstract or click here to order a softbound copy.

Make the 100 Top Hospitals Cardiovascular study work for you:

Want to see how your hospital scored on the Cardiovascular study measures? Order a Benchmarks Report to see how you compare.

For more information, email the 100 Top Hospitals Coordinator at healthcare.pubs@thomsonreuters.com or call us at +1 800 568 3282 (option 3).

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