Lakeland Health Earns Three-Star Rating for Heart Bypass Surgery
May 19, 2017
(ST. JOSEPH) – Lakeland Health has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in medication administration in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures for the second year in a row. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places Lakeland among the elite for heart bypass surgery in the United States and Canada. CABG procedures improve blood flow to the heart in patients with coronary artery disease (narrowing of the coronary arteries due to fatty deposits) or angina (pain or discomfort in the chest due to narrowed arteries).
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs across the United States and Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.
Historically, approximately 10 to 15 percent of participants receive the three-star rating for isolated CABG surgery. The latest analysis of data for CABG surgery covers a 1-year period, from January 2016 to December 2016, and includes 58 participants.
“Our team of highly trained heart and vascular specialists care for hundreds of patients each year, both here in southwest Michigan and throughout the surrounding states, who experience a range of medical conditions affecting the heart,” said Bart Berndt, Executive Director Diagnostic Services, Heart Center. “As leaders in heart care, we are committed to providing the best course of treatment in less time, with the hopes of saving valuable heart muscle and helping you return to your normal daily activities as soon as possible.”
“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 helps provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes three components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), and the General Thoracic Surgery Database
(GTSD). The STS ACSD houses more than 6.1 million surgical records and gathers information from more than 3,700 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists from more than 90% of groups that perform heart surgery in the US. STS public reporting online enables STS ACSD participants to voluntarily report to each other and the public their heart surgery scores and star ratings.
About STS
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 7,200 surgeons, researchers, and allied health care professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.