Deborah Heart & Lung Center Receives Top Honors For Outstanding Cardiovascular Outcomes

Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Article Date: 04 Dec 2008 - 1:00 PST

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The highest designation given to hospitals by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), a three-star rating for quality of heart surgery, has been awarded to Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Browns Mills, N.J. Only ten percent of heart centers throughout the nation attain this level.

"We are extremely proud of our entire cardiac team for demonstrating the hard work and dedication that warrants a three-star rating," said Lynn B. McGrath, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Surgery and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Deborah Heart and Lung Center. "This designation means so much to us because it comes from STS, a society of heart surgery specialists, widely regarded by clinicians as the most comprehensive and conclusive tool for comparing cardiac surgery results. Plus, this designation assures our patients that they can be confident in our staff's ability to provide high-quality cardiac care."

The composite rating - one, two or three stars - is a comprehensive rating system that allows for comparisons regarding the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals across the country. For the period from July 2007 through June 2008, the cardiac surgery performance of Deborah Heart and Lung Center was found to lie in the highest quality tier, thereby earning an STS "3 star" rating. Approximately ten percent of participating hospitals nationally received the "3 star" rating, which denotes the highest category of quality.

The composite rating encompasses not only outcome measures, but also process measures and adherence to evidence-based care throughout the patient's admission. This measure provides much greater discrimination than risk-adjusted mortality alone -- as utilized by the state of New Jersey.

Deborah Heart and Lung Center, Browns Mills, NJ is a 139-bed teaching hospital that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of congenital and acquired heart, lung and vascular diseases in adults, as well as providing outpatient cardiology services for children.

Deborah Heart and Lung Center