Banner Heart Hospital Named Among Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals in U.S.

MESA, Ariz., Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Banner Heart Hospital has been named one of the nation's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the health care business of Thomson Reuters.

The study examined the performance of more than 1,000 hospitals by analyzing outcomes for patients with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasties.

This is the fourth time Banner Heart Hospital has been recognized with this honor. This year's winners were announced October 1 in Modern Healthcare magazine.

"Being named among the nation's top 50 cardiovascular hospitals is an honor for Banner Heart Hospital and a testament to the great work of our frontline health care providers who are saving lives every day," says Laura Robertson, Banner Heart Hospital CEO. "We are committed to providing exceptional patient care and excellent customer service for every individual who comes to us for cardiovascular treatment."

"This year's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals have proven that a commitment to deliver excellent care is still attainable in times of economic uncertainty," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and the 100 Top Hospitals program at Truven Health Analytics. "The hospitals in this study have achieved higher levels of care and efficiency than their peers, demonstrating incredibly strong focus by cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, and cardiovascular service administrators and staff on basic care and outcomes."

The study shows cardiovascular outcomes in U.S. hospitals are improving nationwide. Across all U.S. hospitals, 96 percent of cardiovascular inpatients survive and remain complication-free. Among the 50 Top Hospitals, performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

• Better risk-adjusted survival rates (41 percent fewer deaths than expected, compared with 9 percent fewer than expected at peer hospitals) for bypass surgery patients.
• Lower complications indices (35 percent lower rate of heart failure complications than peers).
• Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital after 30 days.
• Shorter hospital stays. The typical winning hospital released their bypass patients a full day sooner, and their heart attack and heart failure patients about three-quarters of a day sooner than their peers. 
• Lower costs. Top hospitals spend $3,500 less per bypass case and $1,000 less per angioplasty than non-winners.

The study evaluated general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals treating a broad spectrum of cardiology patients.

Truven Health Analytics researchers analyzed 2010 and 2011 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, 2010 Medicare cost reports, and 2012 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data. They scored hospitals in key performance areas: risk-adjusted 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, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

About Banner Heart Hospital
Banner Heart Hospital is one of the largest free-standing heart hospitals in the nation. It is the only accredited Heart Failure Institute in Arizona by the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium, and U.S. News & World Report lists Banner Heart Hospital among the Phoenix area's "Best Hospitals" rankings for specialty services in heart care, heart surgery and geriatrics. The hospital's emergency heart services, in conjunction with Banner Baywood Medical Center, received Chest Pain Center accreditation in 2011. Services at Banner Heart Hospital include open heart surgery, vascular care, interventional cardiology, heart failure and heart rhythm treatment, women's heart care treatment and rehabilitation.

About Truven Health Analytics
Truven Health Analytics, formerly the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters, delivers unbiased information, analytic tools, benchmarks, and services to the healthcare industry. Hospitals, government agencies, employers, health plans, clinicians, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies have relied on us for more than 30 years. We combine our deep clinical, financial, and healthcare management expertise with innovative technology platforms and information assets to make healthcare better by collaborating with our customers to uncover and realize opportunities for improving quality, efficiency, and outcomes. With more than 2,000 employees globally, we have major offices in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Chicago; and Denver. Advantage Suite, Micromedex, ActionOI, MarketScan, and 100 Top Hospitals are registered trademarks or trademarks of Truven Health Analytics.  For more information, please visit www.truvenhealth.com.

SOURCE Banner Heart Hospital