Washington, D.C., February 12, 2018 – MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute’s cardiac surgery program has earned the highest quality rating of three stars from the prestigious Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), placing it once again among the top surgical heart programs in the nation.
MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute, headquartered at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, received the highest, three-star rating in all three ranked categories: coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic valve replacement (AVR) and combined AVR + CABG. It’s an achievement shared by an elite group of less than five percent of cardiac surgery centers in the U.S. and Canada. Physicians widely regard the STS rating as the gold standard by which to evaluate cardiac surgery programs, and this rating also allows patients to make informed decisions about where to receive heart care.
“This is a great honor and reflects hard work by the entire team of cardiovascular surgeons, intensivists, anesthesiologists, surgical assistants and mid-level practitioners,” said Paul Corso, MD, senior cardiac surgeon at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center. “We have always strived to be better tomorrow than today, and have instituted uniform best practices verified by an extensive quality data system.”
MedStar Washington Hospital Center has earned the top-tier, three-star rating in coronary artery bypass grafting since 2006 when STS developed a sophisticated star rating system that evaluates the quality of cardiac surgical procedures performed at hospitals nationwide. The three-star rating is based on a composite score using a combination of 11 quality measures grouped into four categories: patient survival, the absence of surgical complications, recommended medications, and optimal surgical technique.
The STS releases quality awards semiannually. The three-star designation for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is for the data period July 2016 to June 2017. For aortic valve replacement (AVR) and the combined AVR + CABG, the data covers a three-year period from July 2014 to June 2017.
To learn more about the cardiac surgery program at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, click here.
About MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute
MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute is a national leader in the research, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. A network of 10 hospitals and 150 cardiovascular physicians throughout Maryland, Northern Virginia and the Greater Washington, D.C., region, MedStar Heart also offers a clinical and research alliance with Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute, the nation’s #1 heart program. Together, they have forged a relationship of shared expertise to enhance quality, improve safety and increase access to advanced services. MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute was founded at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, home to the Nancy and Harold Zirkin Heart & Vascular Hospital. Opened in July 2016, the hospital ushered in a new era of coordinated, centralized specialty care for patients with even the most complex heart and vascular diagnoses.