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Heart & Vascular Institute Earns Top Cardiac Surgery Ratings in North America

June 20, 2019

The Heart & Vascular Institute at Hartford Hospital has earned distinguished international three-star ratings from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons for its patient care and outcomes in aortic valve replacement, coronary artery bypass grafting and mitral valve replacement and repair.

Earning three-star ratings, which denote the highest level of quality, in all three categories is the highest possible achievement for any institution and placed the Heart & Vascular Institute among the elite for cardiac surgery in North America.

“This great achievement underscores the deep commitment our team of providers and staff have to providing the highest quality care for every patient, every day,” said Dr. Sabet Hashim, chairman of cardiac surgery and surgeon-in-chief at the Heart & Vascular Institute.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons star rating system is recognized as one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare. To determine final designations, the group rates benchmarked outcomes of more than 90 percent of the participating cardiothoracic surgery programs in 11 countries worldwide. Only 4 percent to 7 percent receive the three-star rating for aortic valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafting surgery.

“We are pleased that the skill and attention to detail exercised by the outstanding cardiac surgeons and others working at the Heart & Vascular Institute has been recognized with these ratings. Maintaining and improving quality of care is an ongoing focus for us,” added Dr. Rocco Orlando, Hartford HealthCare senior vice president and chief medical officer.

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons international database – which includes the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database, Congenital Heart Surgery Database, General Thoracic Surgery Database and mechanical circulatory support database – was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient care safety among cardiothoracic surgeons.

The database contains about 6.8 million surgical records and gathers information from more than 3,800 participating physicians. Online reporting enables participants to voluntarily reveal heart surgery scores and star ratings publicly.

For more information on the Heart & Vascular Institute at Hartford HealthCare, click here.