Client News: Morton Plant Only Hospital In The U.S. To Be Named Top For Heart Care For 12 Years

Source: BayCare Health Systems Press Release

Morton Plant Hospital is the only hospital in the United States to be recognized 12 times as a top hospital for heart care. Thomson Reuters named Morton Plant in its annual study identifying the top 50 U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services. The study has been conducted for the past 12 years and Morton Plant is the only hospital in the country to have made the list all 12 years.

"What's most important to understand about this recognition is that one of the best performing hospitals for heart care in the country is located right here in Clearwater," said Mahesh Amin, M.D. FACC, cardiologist and Morton Plant Mease cardiology section chairman. "Additionally, we have been able to achieve a national level of excellence in heart care for more than a decade. No other hospital in the U.S. has been able to achieve those results."

The Thomson Reuters study reviewed 1,022 hospitals across the country by analyzing results for patients with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasties.

"To achieve this recognition for so many years requires team work among physicians, nurses and all of the hospital staff," said John Ofenloch, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon and medical director of cardiac surgery for Morton Plant Hospital. "Without a cohesive approach to heart care, we would not be able to achieve consistent results for so many years."

The study shows that 96 percent of cardiovascular inpatients survive and approximately 93 percent remain complication-free, indicative of improved cardiovascular care across-the-board over the past decade. The 50 top hospitals' performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

Better risk-adjusted survival rates (33 percent fewer deaths than non-winning hospitals).

Lower complications indices (21 percent lower for heart failure complications).

Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital in the 30 days following discharge.

Shorter hospital visits and lower costs. Top hospitals discharge heart patients a half day sooner and spend $1,300 less per case than non-winners.

For the first time, the study singled out 50 top hospitals rather than its traditional practice of identifying 100 winners. Only six hospitals in Florida were named and Morton Plant is the only hospital in the Tampa Bay area to be identified as a Thomson Reuters Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital.

A number of data points are analyzed for the top heart care study. Thomson Reuters researchers analyzed 2008 and 2009 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 medical mortality, risk-adjusted surgical 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, procedure volume, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

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