National Study Ranks Edward Hospital #1 for Cardiology Services in Illinois

NAPERVILLE, Ill., Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- HealthGrades, the nation's leading independent healthcare ratings organization, has published a study that finds Edward Hospital is #1 in Illinois for Cardiology Services, which includes treatment of heart attack, treatment of heart failure and catheterization lab procedures like angioplasty and the insertion of stents.

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Edward's #1 ranking is based on mortality data over a three-year period in these three areas for patients in the hospital, 30 days after hospitalization and 180 days after hospitalization.

"I think the important part about Edward's cardiology program is that it's a total team approach, from the paramedics in the field through the emergency room, cath lab, Heart Hospital and cardiac rehab," says Vincent Bufalino, MD, medical director of cardiovascular services at Edward Heart Hospital and president and CEO of Midwest Heart Specialists. "It's the entire spectrum of care that we provide for the cardiac patient. That's what Edward is really all about."

In addition to the #1 ranking in Illinois for Cardiology Services, Edward also received the following HealthGrades 2011 Awards related to cardiac care:

• Cardiac Care Excellence Award
• Coronary Intervention Excellence Award
• Ranked among the top 5% in the nation for Overall Cardiac Services
• Ranked among the top 5% in the nation for Cardiology Services
• Ranked among the top 5% in the nation for Coronary Interventional Procedures

HealthGrades also awarded Edward with five-star ratings for Overall Cardiac Services, Cardiology Services, Valve Replacement Surgery, Coronary Interventional Procedures, Treatment of Heart Attack and Treatment of Heart Failure. Hospitals receiving a five-star rating have mortality or complication rates below the national average, to a statistically significant degree.

The Thirteenth Annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America study, the largest annual report of its kind, analyzed patient outcomes from nearly 40 million Medicare hospitalization records at the nation's nearly 5,000 hospitals between 2007-2009. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.

Top-performing hospitals had dramatically lower mortality rates than other hospitals, according to the study. For the 17 procedures and diagnoses for which HealthGrades analyzed mortality rates, patients at top hospitals had a 72% lower chance of dying when compared with the lowest-performing hospitals, and a 53% lower chance of dying when compared to the U.S. national average.

Edward's road to the #1 state ranking for Cardiology Services actually began in 1993 when the Edward Cardiovascular Institute opened as the first licensed, outpatient cardiac catheterization lab in Illinois.

Edward enhanced its leadership in cardiac care in 2002 with the opening of Edward Heart Hospital, a first-of-its-kind healthcare concept in Illinois – comprehensive, advanced cardiac care in one location, including screening, diagnostic testing, diagnostic and interventional cardiology, open heart surgery, inpatient and outpatient services, prevention, education and rehabilitation.

The Heart Hospital opened with five floors and 71 beds. Today, after a $49.7 million, three-floor addition that was completed in 2007, there are nearly 120 beds dedicated to advanced cardiac care.

"Our mantra at Edward Heart Hospital is that everybody in the building eats, sleeps and dreams heart disease," says Dr. Bufalino. "What that has done is allow us to provide a very focused product that people really love because it is very patient focused."

More information on the HealthGrades study, including the complete methodology, can be found at www.healthgrades.com.

For more information about cardiology services at Edward, visit www.edward.org/heart.

SOURCE Edward Hospital