SMH Cardiac Surgeons Earn Heartfelt Results

Sarasota Memorial Hospital is one of just three cardiac programs in the United States and Canada that earned the highest 3-Star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons for patient care and outcomes in all five adult cardiac surgery procedures STS measures in its latest analysis:
• Isolated Coronary Artery Bypass (CABG)
• Isolated Aortic Valve Replacement (AVR)
• AVR + CABG
• Isolated Mitral Valve Replacement/Repair (MVRR)
• MVRR + CABG 
(MVRR + CABG)
 
The 3-star ratings, which denote the highest category of quality among hospitals, place SMH’s cardiac surgery team among the top performers of more than 3,800 participating cardiothoracic surgeons voluntarily submitting case records to the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database for analysis and comparison with benchmarking data for quality improvement initiatives. The ratings posted in August are based on clinical data that spans multiple years: CABG (Jan. 2017-Dec. 2018); AVR, AVR/CABG, MVRR and MVRR/CABG (Jan. 2016-Dec. 2018).
 
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the outcomes of cardiac surgery programs in the United States, Canada and a growing number of international participants. Only three participating hospitals achieved the 3-Star ratings across the board, according to the August 2019 results reported by STS.
 
“It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to maintain these high ratings,” Sarasota Memorial CEO David Verinder said. “Our community and cardiac team have much to be proud of. Achieving 3-star ratings in all of the adult cardiac procedures STS measures places us among the top heart hospitals in the nation.”
 
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The database houses more than 6 million surgical records and gathers information from surgeons and anesthesiologists from more than 90 percent of hospitals that perform heart surgery in the United States.
 
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database participants who have received three-star ratings,” said David M. Shahian, MD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality, Research, and Patient Safety. “Participation in the Database and public reporting demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement in health care delivery and provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”