St. Francis Medical Center has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Thomson Reuters (link).

The study examined the performance of more than 1,000 hospitals by analyzing outcomes for patients with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasties.

This year’s winners were announced November 14 in Modern Healthcare magazine.

“This award reflects the medical center’s commitment to the highest standards of quality, safety, and patient care,” stated Gerald Kozai, Pharm.D., St. Francis Medical Center president and chief executive officer.  “This recognition is shared among our dedicated team of physicians, nurses, leaders, and ancillary and support staff, who exemplify our mission of providing excellent care that is compassionate and patient centered, and who embrace a culture of collaboration and performance improvement that will continue to move us forward to achieve the best patient care outcomes.”

“This year’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals have continued to deliver excellent care and have been able to improve their performance in a tough economic climate,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals® program at Thomson Reuters. “The hospitals in this study have provided measurably better care and are more efficient than their peers, demonstrating incredibly strong focus by hospital leadership at a time when the healthcare system is steeped in volatility.”

The study shows that 97 percent of cardiovascular inpatients in U.S. hospitals survive and approximately 96 percent remain complication-free, reflecting improved cardiovascular care across-the-board over the past year. The 50 top hospitals’ performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

• Better risk-adjusted survival rates (23 percent fewer deaths than non-winning hospitals for bypass surgery patients).

• Lower complications indices (40 percent lower rate of heart failure complications).

• Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital after 30 days.

• Shorter hospital visits and lower costs. Top hospitals discharge bypass patients nearly a full day sooner and spend $4,200 less per bypass case than non-winners. 

• Increased use of internal mammary artery (IMA) for coronary artery bypass surgeries.  Top hospitals have increased their use of this recommended procedure from 88 to 96 percent

The study evaluated general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals treating a broad spectrum of cardiology patients.

Thomson Reuters researchers analyzed 2009 and 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, Medicare cost reports, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data. They scored hospitals in key performance areas: risk-adjusted mortality, risk-adjusted complications, core measures (a group of measures that assess process of care), percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

ST. FRANCIS MEDICAL CENTER

St. Francis Medical Center (SFMC) is the only comprehensive, non-profit health care institution serving Southeast Los Angeles.  A member of the Daughters of Charity Health System, SFMC is dedicated to serving those who are sick and living in poverty.  The medical center provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment services, as well as many community outreach programs for the 700,000 adults and 300,000 children who count on SFMC for high quality and compassionate medical care.

Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.  Thomson Reuters combines industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, health care and science and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries.

St. Francis Medical Center’s Heart and Vascular Medicine program includes a dedicated team of cardiac specialists and vascular surgeons who provide a full range of diagnostic and treatment services.

Read the full article here.

·         Evidence-based care: Deliver the most reliable and effective care based on national guidelines that follow proven practices.

·         Mortality: Save lives through consistent practices that eliminate avoidable hospital deaths.

·         Cost of care: Safely reduce the cost of care for each patient’s hospitalization.

St. Francis Medical Center increased its delivery of recommended evidence-based care measures to 91 percent as a participant in the voluntary QUEST collaborative. Evidence-based care measures include interventions such as administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge and smoking cessation for heart attack patients.

“St. Francis Medical Center is proud to be recognized,” said Marsha Chan, chief quality officer and corporate responsibility officer for St. Francis Medical Center.   “We are committed to delivering the best care to our patients by operating with the safest, highest quality practices possible, and this award truly reflects the dedication and successful collaboration of our doctors, nurses, ancillary staff and leadership team.”

QUEST members participating since 2009 (185 of today’s 250 participants) were eligible for the award.

“St. Francis Medical Center has made continuous achievements in providing the best care possible,” said Premier President and CEO Susan DeVore.  “They’ve been engaged in and dedicated to a nationwide improvement collaborative designed to achieve cost-effective, evidence-based care delivery, thereby improving outcomes, reducing mortality and harm and providing the best experience they can for their patients.”

In the first 30 months of the collaborative, QUEST hospitals saved an estimated 25,235 lives and $2.85 billion in costs.

Click the QUEST logo below to learn more about the Premier QUEST program.

ABOUT ST. FRANCIS MEDICAL CENTER

St. Francis Medical Center (SFMC) is the only comprehensive, non-profit health care institution serving Southeast Los Angeles.  A member of the Daughters of Charity Health System, SFMC is dedicated to serving those who are sick and living in poverty.  The Medical Center provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment services, as well as many community outreach programs for the 700,000 adults and 300,000 children who count on SFMC for high quality and compassionate medical care.

About the Premier healthcare alliance, Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient

Premier is a performance improvement alliance of more than 2,500 U.S. hospitals and 75,000-plus other health care sites using the power of collaboration to lead the transformation to high quality, cost-effective care. Owned by hospitals, health systems and other providers, Premier maintains the nation’s most comprehensive repository of clinical, financial and outcomes information and operates a leading health care purchasing network. A world leader in helping deliver measurable improvements in care, Premier has worked with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the United Kingdom’s National Health Service North West to improve hospital performance. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier also has an office in Washington.

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