AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ — Heart Hospital of Austin announced today that it has been ranked #1 in Texas for overall cardiac services for the sixth year in a row by HealthGrades, the leading healthcare ratings company. Heart Hospital of Austin is also a recipient of the 2009 clinical excellence award for overall cardiac services and ranked among the top five percent nationally for the sixth year in a row.
In addition, Heart Hospital of Austin received the following recognitions: -- Ranked #1 in Texas for Cardiac Surgery -- Recipient of the HealthGrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award(TM) 2 years in a row -- Recipient of the HealthGrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award(TM) 2 years in a row -- Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Cardiac Surgery in 2009 -- Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Cardiology Services 6 years in a row -- Ranked Among the Top 5% in the Nation for Coronary Interventional Procedures 2 years in a row -- Five-Star Rated for Overall Cardiac Services 6 years in a row -- Five-Star Rated for Cardiac Surgery -- Five-Star Rated for Cardiology Services 6 years in a row -- Five-Star Rated for Coronary Bypass Surgery 6 years in a row -- Five-Star Rated for Coronary Interventional Procedures 6 years in a row -- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Attack 6 years in a row -- Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Heart Failure 6 years in a row -- Received the Highest Possible Star Ratings for Coronary Bypass Surgery -- Received the Highest Possible Star Ratings for Coronary Interventional Procedures 2 years in a row -- Received the Highest Possible Star Ratings for Treatment of Heart Attack 6 years in a row -- Received the Highest Possible Star Ratings for Treatment of Heart Failure 6 years in a row
“We are very pleased to receive the HealthGrades #1 ranking again this year,” says David Laird, Heart Hospital of Austin President and Chief Executive Officer. “The physicians at Heart Hospital of Austin are outstanding and we are very appreciative of their essential role in achieving superior clinical outcomes. Our staff members are truly amazing and consistently demonstrate their skill and compassion in caring for our patients and their family members.”
These findings were included in the eleventh annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America Study, which is the most comprehensive study of its kind, analyzing more than 41 million Medicare hospitalization records from 2005 to 2007 at the nation’s approximately 5,000 non-federal hospitals. According to the study, if all hospitals performed at the level of five-star rated hospitals, 237,420 Medicare deaths could potentially have been prevented over the three years studied. More than half of those preventable deaths were associated with four conditions: sepsis, pneumonia, heart failure and respiratory failure.
While overall death rates declined from 2005 to 2007, the nation’s best-performing hospitals were able to reduce preventable deaths at a much faster rate than poor-performing hospitals, resulting in large state, regional and hospital-to-hospital variations in the quality of patient care, the study found.
“Our positive patient outcomes reflect the excellent quality of care they receive here,” explains Melissa Johnson, CPHQ, CPMSM, Director, Performance Improvement/Risk Management for the Heart Hospital of Austin. “Receiving this honor and being recognized by HealthGrades validates our commitment to the people of Central Texas and beyond.”
Based on the study, HealthGrades today made available its 2009 quality ratings for virtually every hospital in the country at http://www.healthgrades.com/, a Web site designed to help individuals research and compare local healthcare providers.
On its Web site, HealthGrades offers, free to consumers, quality ratings of 27 procedures and treatments for virtually every hospital in the country. The Web site is designed so that consumers can easily compare patient outcomes at their local hospitals for procedures ranging from aortic aneurysm repair to bypass surgery. Each hospital receives a star rating based on its patient outcomes in terms of mortality or complication rates for each procedure or treatment. Hospitals with outcomes that are above average to a statistically significant degree receive a five-star rating. Hospitals with average outcomes receive a three-star rating, and hospitals with outcomes that are below average receive a one-star rating. Because no two hospitals or their patients’ risk profiles are alike, HealthGrades employs extensive risk-adjustment algorithms to ensure that it is making analogous comparisons.
About Heart Hospital of Austin
The uniquely designed 58-bed hospital offers a full range of cardiac services and includes a 24-hour full service emergency center. Heart Hospital of Austin provides comprehensive physician-directed and patient-centered care resulting in excellent patient outcomes and satisfaction ratings. The hospital resulted from the shared vision of Austin Heart Cardiologists and Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgeons Group of Austin (CTVS). Working with hospital leadership, the groups created an atmosphere of quality resulting in the #1 ranked heart program in Texas, six years in a row. More information can be found at http://www.hearthospitalofaustin.com/.
Heart Hospital of Austin
CONTACT: Hospital, Richard Woehl, Director of Marketing of HeartHospital of Austin, +1-512-407-7584, [email protected];or Public Relations, Emily Schmitz, +1-512-630-8068, [email protected],for Heart Hospital of Austin
Web Site: http://www.healthgrades.com/http://www.hearthospitalofaustin.com/
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