Saint Luke's Heart Attack Survival Rates are Better than 98 Percent of Hospitals in the Nation

Latest data from CMS shows no hospital within 100 miles has a lower mortality rate

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Dec. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Heart attacks are the leading killer of both men and women in the United States, impacting more than 1.5 million people each year. The latest statistics released from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reveal that patients who have suffered acute myocardial infarction (AMI), more commonly known as heart attack,  who receive care at Saint Luke's have lower 30-day mortality rates than at any other facility within 100 miles. Those rates place Saint Luke's Hospital in the top 2 percent of providers in the nation.

The most recent CMS data, which provides a rolling three-year compilation of AMI and heart failure mortality rates for all Medicare patients from 4,777 reporting hospitals, reveals that all four Saint Luke's metro facilities have the best survival rates for AMI of any hospital in the Kansas City region. In addition, all four facilities have survival rates for heart failure which are equal to or better than the national average, with Saint Luke's Hospital ranking in the top 4 percent in the nation.

Heart failure is the number one reason adults over the age of 65 are admitted to the hospital. The Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute has long been the leader in cardiovascular care not only in the Midwest, but across the country.

"Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute prides itself on not only providing the very best in cardiovascular care, from prevention and early detection to offering the only heart transplant program in the region, but also in delivering comprehensive, personalized medicine," said William C. Daniel, M.D., Saint Luke's Health System Chief Quality Officer and Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute cardiologist. "Our team approach and commitment to evidenced-based treatment ensures the highest quality care and chance of survival for our patients."

The 30-day mortality rates for both heart failure and heart attack at Saint Luke's Hospital were lower than the same rates at both Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic.  In the area of heart failure, Saint Luke's Hospital scored 9.2 percent with Cleveland and Mayo scoring 9.7 and 10.6 percent respectively.  The 30-day AMI rate at Saint Luke's was 11.6 percent compared to 14.9 percent at Cleveland Clinic and 13.5 percent at Mayo.

"In addition to clinical expertise and quality of care, we also attribute these low rates to our commitment to evidenced based care which ensures the highest likelihood of survival,and that Saint Lukes is the best place to get care and best place to give care" said Dr. Daniel.  "Our cath lab protocols, interventional cardiologists, nursing post-care of AMI, cardiac rehabilitation program, and our follow-up with certified heart failure specialists are all unique components of our program which directly impact patient outcomes and survival."

The complete CMS rankings can be found at: http://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/search.html

About Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute  
Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, a member of Saint Luke's Health System and a teaching affiliate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City, is one of the preeminent cardiovascular programs in the country. Its legacy of innovation began more than 25 years ago when it opened as the nation's first heart hospital. Since then, the Heart Institute has earned a world-wide reputation for excellence in the treatment of heart disease, including interventional cardiology, cardiovascular surgery, imaging, heart failure, transplant, heart disease prevention, women's heart disease, electrophysiology, outcomes research, and health economics. With more than 50 full-time board certified cardiovascular specialists on staff, the Heart Institute offers one of the largest heart failure/heart transplant programs in the country, has the largest experience with transcatheter aortic valve replacement in the Midwest, and is a global teaching site for the newest approaches to opening challenging blocked arteries using minimally invasive techniques.

SOURCE Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute