Two UMass Memorial Health Care System Hospitals Rank in Top
Five
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 23, 2011
Contact: Rob
Brogna
508-793-5394
774-317-0422
robert.brogna@umassmemorial.org
Twitter: http://twitter.com/umassmemorial
WORCESTER - For the fourth consecutive year, data from the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has shown that UMass Memorial Medical Center is the
leading hospital in Massachusetts for surviving a heart attack. Joining the
medical center in the statewide top five hospitals is another member of UMass
Memorial Health Care: HealthAlliance Hospital, ranked fourth for the second year in
a row. The data was released by CMS through the USA Today website.
"The fact that the Medical Center has been ranked number one for four years
in a row for heart attack survival rates and HealthAlliance Hospital number
four for two years speaks to our commitment to providing superior care that can
be delivered in a consistent, repeatable manner throughout the UMass Memorial
Health Care system," said Robert Phillips, MD, PhD, director of the UMass
Memorial Health Care Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence and a senior vice
president of UMass Memorial Medical Center. "We pride ourselves on taking a
uniform approach throughout the system to treating heart attacks, and the data
has shown that we have been extremely effective and efficient in saving
patient's lives."
A key component of this success is that the Medical Center's rapid response
cardiac team, along with regional emergency medical service providers, continues
to excel at reducing the time between a patient's arrival in the emergency room
and completion of the procedure that restores blood flow to the heart. This
period is called the door-to-balloon-time (DTB). UMass Memorial averages 50
minutes while the national standard is 90 minutes. UMass Memorial Medical Center
continues to be a model of success and works with other hospitals to help
improve their DTB times.
Out of 4,600 hospitals across the nation the reported mortality rate at UMass
Memorial for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) - commonly known as a heart
attack - is well below the national average. "This represents a commitment on
behalf of all of our doctors, nurses, support staff, emergency medical personnel
and our numerous regional partners," said Dr. Phillips.
CMS developed its health outcome measures tool to improve quality in all
American hospitals. The organization estimated the 30-day risk-standardized
mortality rates (RSMRs) for Medicare patients hospitalized with a principal
discharge diagnosis of heart attack. CMS then estimated the RSMRs from heart
attack for each hospital within 30 days of submission.
The UMass Memorial Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence has been
considered one of the country's leaders in cardiovascular care according to many
quality benchmarks and measures.
- For five consecutive years (2006-2010) it has earned three stars (the
highest designation) for cardiac surgery by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons.
- Our Cardiac Surgery Program was given a 3-star rating - the highest - by
Consumer Reports Magazine for overall performance, complications and other
quality measures for heart bypass surgery. There are only 81 heart surgery
programs across the country to receive the 3-star rating.
- UMass Memorial Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are ranked number one for overall
quality of care by the VISICU eICU® Quality Consortium as part of a national
benchmarking study. The consortium includes 40 health care systems in 28 states,
more than 200 hospitals and nearly 300,000 ICU patients per year. UMass Memorial
has achieved this number one ranking consistently since June 2007.
- In recognition of achieving a 50 percent reduction in mortality associated
with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm, the Division of Vascular and
Endovascular Surgery was awarded the highest award in the UMass Memorial Health
Care System -- the 2011 Board of Trustees Award for Outstanding Improvement in
Quality, Safety and Patient Experience.The Medical Center was the first hospital
in New England to offer Revo MRITM SureScan® pacing system, the only
MR-Conditional pacing system designed, tested and FDA approved for use in the
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) environment.
About UMass Memorial Health Care
UMass Memorial Health
Care is Central Massachusetts' largest not-for-profit health care delivery
system, covering the complete health care continuum with UMass Memorial Medical
Center, its academic medical center, member and affiliated community hospitals,
freestanding primary care practices, ambulatory outpatient clinics, home health
agencies, hospice programs, a rehabilitation group and mental health services.
UMass Memorial is the clinical partner of the University of Massachusetts
Medical School. To learn more about UMass Memorial, please visit www.umassmemorial.org, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.