Solucient Names Top Heart Hospitals; Finds Wide Variation in Survival Rates, Performance Among U.S. Hospitals
Winners demonstrate early adoption of new medical technologies; market share leadership

EVANSTON, Ill. -- October 21, 2002

- An additional 4,400 heart disease patients could survive each year if all hospitals performed at top levels

- Solucient 100 Top cardiovascular hospitals identified for 2002

A study released today by Solucient names the nations' 100 top cardiovascular benchmark hospitals and finds that if all hospitals performed at the level of these top facilities, an additional 4,400 cardiovascular patients could survive each year. Moreover, U.S. health care could save $880 million annually--an average savings of more than $1,400 in costs per cardiology case.

The fourth annual study also finds:

  • Post-surgical infection rates could decrease by 18 percent in non-winning hospitals, while post-procedural hemorrhage rates could decrease 26 percent, if those facilities improved to the winning hospital or "benchmark" performance level.
  • The average length of stay for cardiac patients could decrease by more than half a day--eliminating 402,000 patient days each year--if all hospitals achieved the best-performance level.

"These new benchmarks demonstrate that many American hospitals are successfully raising the bar for improved cardiovascular outcomes every year," explained Jean Chenoweth, executive director of the Solucient 100 Top Hospitals research program. "Because the selection of winners is based solely on objective analysis of cardiovascular outcomes in all U.S. hospitals, the 'winners' are not just the hospitals themselves, but also the communities where these high performing hospitals are located."

The annual study, Solucient 100 Top Hospitals®: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success--2002, included, for the first time, new measures of congestive heart failure performance and procedure volume. "Congestive heart failure is one of the main reasons for cardiovascular admission among Medicare patients, and by including this measure we broadened the study in the medical patient population," said Janet Young, M.D., clinical research consultant at Solucient. Procedure volume was included to track its influence as a positive factor in hospital performance.

Additional findings show that:

  • The 100 top benchmark cardiovascular hospitals have higher procedure volumes than their peers, and this remained an important factor in outcomes. For example, benchmark hospitals performed a median of at least 80 percent more angioplasty procedures and bypass surgeries than non-winning peer hospitals.
  • Median complication rates were lower, and average survival rates were markedly higher at the benchmark hospitals, particularly for patients with congestive heart failure and patients undergoing angioplasty or bypass surgery. For instance, benchmark hospitals had a median of 26 percent fewer deaths for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery compared to non-winning hospitals.
  • Solucient 100 Top Hospitals demonstrated lower costs and shorter lengths of stay for CABG's performed both "off pump" (without a heart-lung machine during surgery) and "on pump" than did peer hospitals. In additional analysis, hospitals that have won the award three times or more demonstrated the shortest lengths of stay and the lowest costs for both approaches to CABG.

Cardiovascular disease is one of the country's most serious health problems and is the leading cause of death, killing nearly one million Americans annually, according to the American Heart Association. It accounts for at least 300,000 Medicare hospitalizations annually, and tallies an estimated $330 billion in medical and disability costs.

Solucient's annual cardiovascular study identifies hospitals that display superior performance in the clinical management of cardiovascular disease. Its aim is to provide benchmarks to improve the standard of care in cardiology, including specific procedures and conditions.

The winners of the award are stratified in categories or peer groups that represent hospitals throughout the country. They include 30 teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residency programs, 40 teaching hospitals without cardiovascular residency programs, and 30 community hospitals.

The study uses detailed clinical and patient management information, including Solucient's DRG (Diagnostic Related Group) and hospital database, as well as publicly available MEDPAR data (Medicare Provider Analysis and Review).

The study focuses on hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients and includes all hospitals that had at least 30 unique cases in each of the following groups for 1999 and 2000:

  • Acute myocardial infarction (AMI)
  • Congestive heart failure (CHF)
  • Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)
  • Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG)

Hospitals that met these criteria were analyzed according to the following measures of clinical quality practices and efficiency of operations:

  • Procedure volume threshold
  • Risk-adjusted medical mortality
  • Risk-adjusted surgical mortality
  • Risk-adjusted complications index
  • Percentage of CABG patients with internal mammary artery use
  • Severity-adjusted average length of stay
  • Wage-and severity-adjusted average cost

Solucient is the leading source of health care business intelligence. Its mission is to provide comprehensive, results-oriented information to drive business growth, manage costs, and deliver quality care. Solucient's expertise and proven solutions enable providers, payers, employers, and pharmaceutical companies to achieve results and realize value. By bridging the gap between data and information, knowledge and value, Solucient drives intelligent business decisions. For more information, visit the Solucient Web site at www.solucient.com.

Additional information can be found at http://www.100TopHospitals.com under media information. Copies of the report can be purchased by calling Solucient at 1.800.568.3282.

2002 Solucient 100 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals


Arizona Heart Hospital Phoenix AZ
Phoenix Memorial Hospital Phoenix AZ
Walter O Boswell Memorial Hospital Sun City AZ
Glendale Memorial Hospital Glendale CA
Loma Linda University Medical Center Loma Linda CA
Methodist Hospital of Southern Calif Arcadia CA
Scripps Green Hospital La Jolla CA
St Helena Hospital Deer Park CA
Torrance Memorial Medical Center Torrance CA
Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital Denver CO
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center Hartford CT
Charlotte Regional Medical Center Punta Gorda FL
Florida Hospital Orlando FL
Halifax Medical Center Daytona Beach FL
Holy Cross Hospital Fort Lauderdale FL
Lakeland Regional Medical Center Lakeland FL
Largo Medical Center Largo FL
Lee Memorial Health System Fort Myers FL
Morton Plant Hospital Clearwater FL
Mt Sinai Medical Center Miami Beach FL
Munroe Regional Medical Center Ocala FL
Ocala Regional Medical Center Ocala FL
Orlando Regional Healthcare System Orlando FL
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point Hudson FL
Sarasota Memorial Hospital Sarasota FL
St Joseph 's Hospital Tampa FL
University Medical Center Jacksonville FL
Memorial Medical Center Savannah GA
St Luke's Regional Medical Center Boise ID
Loyola University Medical Center Maywood IL
Northwest Community Hospital Arlington Heights IL
Saint Francis Hospital and Healthcare Center Blue Island IL
Central Baptist Hospital Lexington KY
Our Lady of Lourdes Regional Medical Ctr LaFayette LA
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston MA
Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston MA
Lahey Clinic Hospital Burlington MA
Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA
Tufts-New England Medical Center Hospital Boston MA
University Hospital Boston MA
Sinai Hospital of Baltimore Baltimore MD
St Joseph Medical Center Towson MD
Northern Michigan Hospital Petoskey MI
Providence Hospital and Medical Center Southfield MI
Spectrum Health Downtown Campus Grand Rapids MI
St John Hospital & Medical Center Detroit MI
St Joseph Mercy Hospital Pontiac MI
North Memorial Health Care Robbinsdale MN
St. Cloud Hospital Saint Cloud MN
St. Mary's Duluth Clinic Health System Duluth MN
Boone Hospital Center Columbia MO
St. John's Mercy Medical Center Saint Louis MO
St. Luke's Hospital Chesterfield MO
St Vincent HealthCare Billings MT
Mission St. Joseph 's Health System Asheville NC
Pitt County Memorial Hospital Greenville NC
St Luke's Hospitals--Meritcare Fargo ND
BryanLGH Medical Center-East Lincoln NE
Lenox Hill Hospital New York NY
Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn NY
North Shore University Hospital Manhasset NY
Rochester General Hospital Rochester NY
St. Peter's Hospital Albany NY
Bethesda Hospital Cincinnati OH
Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland OH
Columbia Mercy Medical Center Canton OH
Deaconess Hospital Cincinnati OH
Good Samaritan Hospital Dayton OH
The Christ Hospital Cincinnati OH
University Hospital Cincinnati OH
Good Samaritan Hospital--Corvallis Corvallis OR
Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital & MC Portland OR
Providence Portland Medical Center Portland OR
Rogue Valley Medical Center Medford OR
Sacred Heart Medical Center Eugene OR
Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center Johnstown PA
Lancaster General Hospital Lancaster PA
Lehigh Valley Hospital Allentown PA
Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Hershey PA
Presbyterian Medical Center Philadelphia PA
St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network Bethlehem PA
UPMC Shadyside Hospital Pittsburgh PA
Miriam Hospital Providence RI
Medical University of South Carolina Charleston SC
Baptist Hospital of East Tennessee Knoxville TN
Saint Thomas Health Services Nashville TN
St Mary's Medical Center Knoxville TN
Baylor University Medical Center Dallas TX
Scott & White Memorial Hospital Temple TX
LDS Hospital Salt Lake City UT
St. Marks Hospital Salt Lake City UT
Chippenham/Johnston-Willis Hosp Richmond VA
Inova Fairfax Hospital Falls Church VA
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Norfolk VA
Deaconess Medical Center Spokane WA
Providence General Medical Center Everett WA
Providence St Peter Hospital Olympia WA
St Elizabeth Hospital Appleton WI
St Joseph 's Hospital Marshfield WI
Wausau Hospital Wausau WI

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