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Five Michigan Hospitals Among Top 50 For Heart Care

Five Michigan hospitals were among the top 50 United States hospitals for heart care released Monday by the Ann Arbor-based health care business of Thomson Reuters.

The study, now in its twelfth year, for the first time singled out 50 hospitals rather than the traditional practice of naming 100 winners.

"We've chosen a more elite group of winners this year. These hospitals have raised the bar significantly," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals program at Thomson Reuters. "They deliver higher survival rates, shorter hospital stays, fewer readmissions, and lower costs -- which adds up to enormous value for the communities they serve. As a result, everyone benefits: patients, families, employers, insurers and the hospital itself."

The study examined the performance of 1,022 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.

The study shows that 96 percent of cardiovascular inpatients survive and approximately 93 percent remain complication-free, indicative of improved cardiovascular care across-the-board over the past decade. The 50 top hospitals' performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

* Better risk-adjusted survival rates (33 percent fewer deaths than non-winning hospitals for bypass surgery).
* Lower complications indices (21 percent lower for heart failure complications).
* Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital in the 30 days following discharge.
* Shorter hospital visits and lower costs. Top hospitals discharge heart patients a half day sooner and spend $1,300 less per case 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.

Thomson Reuters researchers analyzed 2008 and 2009 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, Medicare cost reports, and 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.

The Thomson Reuters 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals were classified into three comparison groups.

Michigan winners in the group "Teaching Hospitals with Cardiovascular Residency Programs" were Providence Hospital and Medical Center in Southfield, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac and St. John Macomb - Oakland Hospital in Warren.

In the category "Teaching Hospitals without Cardiovascular Residency Programs," Michigan winners were Marquette General Hospital in Marquette, and Munson Medical Center in Traverse City.

There were no Michigan winners in the third category, "Community Hospitals."

More at www.thomsonreuters.com.

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