Contact: Ellen Bank
843.792.2626
Oct. 29, 2002
CHARLESTON, SC (October, 29, 2002) -- The MUSC Medical Center is the only hospital in South Carolina named as one of the top 100 cardiovascular hospitals in the nation by Solucient, the leading source of health care business intelligence.
The study identifies hospitals that have achieved excellence in care, efficiency
of operations and
sustainability of cardiovascular performance. Its aim is to provide benchmarks
to improve the standard of care in cardiology, including specific procedures
and conditions. Publicly available data statistically adjusted for variations
in care, illness levels and costs were used to track performance in key cardiology
areas.
The Solucient 100 Top Hospitals Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success study
found that if all hospitals achieved the success levels of the top performers,
an additional 4,400 cardiovascular patients could survive each year and U.S.
health care could save $880 million annually. The study also found that top-performing
facilities consistently
outperform their peers, especially in terms of mortality and complications rates:
• Risk-adjusted mortality rates were an average of 26 percent lower for
certain surgical procedures in top hospitals compared to non-winners.
• Post-operative infection rates were an average 18 percent lower in winning
versus non-winning hospitals, while post procedural hemorrhage rates were 26
percent lower.
• In terms of efficiency, the average length of stay for cardiac patients
would decrease by more than half a day - eliminating 402,000 patient days each
year - if all hospitals achieved the best performance.
The survey winners were divided into peer groups and included 30 teaching hospitals
with cardiovascular residency programs, 40 teaching hospitals without cardiovascular
residency programs and 30 community
hospitals. The MUSC Medical Center competed in the category of teaching hospitals
with cardiovascular residency programs.
"Achieving this benchmark in the treatment of heart disease is a tremendous accomplishment for a hospital," said Jean Chenoweth, executive director of the Solucient 100 Top Hospitals research program. "These winning teams shine a light on practice and performance that will help guide all hospitals to deliver better care."
More information can be found at http://www.100TopHospitals.com.
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