| | Gundersen Lutheran named Top 100 heart hospital in the nation
Study finds hospitals delivering high-quality heart care are efficient and cost effective
 Patients in the Tri-state Region can feel confident they’re receiving high quality heart care when they’re treated at Gundersen Lutheran. The quality of Gundersen Lutheran’s heart program has once again been recognized on a national level. The healthcare organization has been named one of the top 100 cardiovascular hospitals in the nation—the only hospital in the Tri-state Region to have ever received this distinction.
Thomson Healthcare—the leading provider of decision support solutions that help organizations across the healthcare industry improve clinical and business performance—recently announced the results of the 2007 Thomson 100 Top Hospitals®: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success Study. Gundersen Lutheran was on that list for the fourth time, having also received the distinction in 1999, 2003 and 2005.
“We are proud to again be ranked among the 100 top cardiovascular hospitals in the nation,” says Gundersen Lutheran cardiologist Paul Schoenfeld, MD, department chair, Cardiology. “Many hospitals on the list are world-renowned institutions. This award means the care we provide our patients, our state-of-the-art technology and the skill with which we use it are comparable to those of the most sophisticated and influential heart hospitals in the country.”
To determine the 100 Top cardiovascular hospitals, Thomson examined the performance of more than 1,000 U.S. hospitals by analyzing their outcomes for eight measures related to congestive heart failure, heart attacks, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), such as balloon angioplasties. It used performance data from 2005 and 2006, including publicly available Medicare MEDPAR (Medicare Provider Analysis and Review) data and Medicare cost reports.
What it found was U.S. hospitals that are producing the best clinical outcomes for heart care also treat heart patients in less time and at a lower cost than other hospitals. Compared to other hospitals, top 100 hospitals had:
- Hospitals stays that were 12 percent shorter on average than peer hospitals
- Costs that averaged 13 percent—or about $2,000—less per case than peer hospitals
- Performed larger volumes of heart procedures (nearly two-thirds more bypasses and PCIs) than peer hospitals
According to the study, if all cardiovascular hospitals achieved the same results as the Top 100 Hospital award winners, more than 7,000 lives would be saved and nearly 750 medical complications would be avoided each year.
According to Diane Larson, RN, MSN, administrative director of the Gundersen Lutheran Heart Institute, “This honor is recognition of the extraordinary work performed at Gundersen Lutheran every day. It means our superior quality, care and results in heart surgeries, angioplasties, treating heart attack and congestive heart failure by far exceed national standards. That’s a great thing for patients in the communities we serve.”
Gundersen Lutheran cardiothoracic surgeon Christopher Leach, MD, agrees saying, “The quality care this award recognizes cannot be achieved without committed teamwork throughout the organization. Our staff is passionate about providing the highest quality care for our patients, and it shows with this award.”
This is the 11th time Gundersen Lutheran has been named among the top 100 hospitals in the nation in the last 10 years. Other top 100 designations include the Integrative Delivery System, Performance Improvement Leaders and Hospitals.
More information on the study is available in the Nov. 19 issue of Modern Healthcare. |