Family’s Research of Hospital Quality Yields ‘Best Surgical Option’

The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano One of Only 17 US Hospitals to Achieve This Top Ranking

At 38, Josh Miller didn't think heart disease could be an issue. Yet he experienced chest pain and tightness while installing garage shelves and drove himself to the nearest emergency department. While hospitalized, Josh learned that all was not well with his heart -- he had four arteries that were 90 percent blocked. Physicians at that facility did a stent procedure, but Josh needed triple bypass surgery. That's when his wife, Lauren, decided to research the best hospital for his upcoming procedure and the research led her to The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano, a facility jointly owned with physicians.

The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano earned three star ratings from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for the third time as a top performer in key cardiac surgery services based on patient outcomes. STS rated The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano's cardiac surgery outcomes among the top in the country for aortic valve replacement (AVR) procedures, coronary artery bypass grafts (CABG) and combined CABG/AVR. Only 17 heart programs achieved three stars in all three categories. Statistically, The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano ranks in the top 1.7 percent of all heart surgery programs nationwide

After Josh's surgery at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano he received a week of inpatient care and eight weeks of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation. He has since improved his diet, exercised regularly and lost more than 60 pounds. However, he attributes his overall survival to The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano.

"I'm here today because of the outstanding care I received at The Heart Hospital," Miller says. "The staff was phenomenal, the technology advanced and the rooms on par with the nicest hotels."

A look at the statistics provided to STS for this reporting period shows that cardiac surgeons on the medical staff at The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano performed approximately 445 coronary artery bypass grafts, 464 aortic valve replacement procedures and 189 combined CABG and AVR.**

"The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano has made an extraordinary commitment to quality heart care," says Michael Mack, MD, FACC, Chair of the Cardiovascular Governance Council and the Cardiovascular Service Line of Baylor Scott & White Health. "To be named one of the top 17 heart programs in the US based totally on quality outcomes demonstrates the hospital heart team's hard work and dedication toward achieving our best care goals."

On the hospital's website consumers can find patient outcomes, Leapfrog hospital rankings and other quality measures related to The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano. Baylor Scott & White Health also offers more information on where to locate quality data http://media.baylorhealth.com/pages/sources-hospital-data/

The STS developed a comprehensive rating system for the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals across the country. Its database measures outcomes on more than 90 percent of the 1,100 cardiac surgery programs in the US. The system analyzes many different national cardiac surgical data categories yearly to determine which hospitals meet its stringent qualifications for the three-star rating. This data includes avoidance of mortality, avoidance of major complications, use of arteries as bypass grafts and assuring that all appropriate medications are given pre- and post-operatively in all patients undergoing CABG and AVR procedures. http://www.sts.org/

Hospitals Most Likely to Be Recommended by Patients
Lauren Miller was not alone in discovering The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano's quality. The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano ranked among 55 hospitals with 91 percent or more of patients who reported "yes, they would definitely recommend this hospital" in the HCAHPS, or Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems, survey; these results were reported in Becker's Hospital Review list of the "Top 55 Hospitals Patients Would Definitely Recommend." *** HCAHPS is a patient satisfaction survey required by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for all hospitals in the United States. http://cms.hhs.gov/

* based on unaudited fiscal year 2013 financial statements
**The current analysis of national data covers the period from January 2010-December 2013 (AVR) and January 2013-December 2013 (CAGB).
*** http://www.beckershospitalreview.com/quality/top-55-hospitals-patients-would-definitely-recommend-2014.html

Notice Regarding Physician Ownership: The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano is a hospital in which physicians have an ownership or investment interest. The list of the physician owners or investors is available to upon request. Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System's subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, The Heart Hospital Baylor Plano or Baylor Health Care System.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Susan Hall
susanh@baylorhealth.edu
office: (214) 820-1817
cell: (214) 566-2589

About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com