Monday, November 15, 2010
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Martin Memorial named one of 50 Top Hospitals in nation for cardiovascular care
Contact: Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator
Phone: (772) 223-4920
Cell: (772) 708-3319
E-mail: ssamples@mmhs-fla.org
STUART, Fla., Nov. 15, 2010 – The Frances Langford Heart Center at Martin Memorial has been saving lives since opening its doors in August 2006. On Monday, it received national recognition for the care patients receive at the heart center.
Martin Memorial Medical Center was named one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation in an annual study by Thomson Reuters. Selected from more than 1,000 hospitals across the United States, winners of this prestigious award provide “top-notch cardiovascular care” according to results from an exhaustive analysis.
Martin Memorial was one of just six hospitals in Florida named to the list, and the only hospital on the Treasure Coast to be honored. The award traditionally honors 100 top hospitals for cardiovascular care, but Thomson Reuters said that in an effort to highlight the industry leaders, it only selected 50 in 2010.
This is Martin Memorial’s first year on the list. Martin Memorial was also named a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals award winner earlier this year, the fifth time it has earned that honor.
“When we created the Frances Langford Heart Center, our goal was to be among the best in the nation for heart care. It is extremely fulfilling to attain that goal in a short period of time,” said Mark E. Robitaille, president and chief executive officer of Martin Memorial Health Systems. “We are fortunate to have an incredible team of physicians and clinical staff at the Frances Langford Heart Center, who provide exceptional cardiovascular care to residents of the Treasure Coast.”
Martin Memorial partners with cardiologists at Cardiology Associates of Stuart, Stuart Cardiology Group and Florida Heart Center, as well as the Ocala Heart Institute for open-heart surgeries. The creation of the heart center was made possible in part thanks to the generosity of the Frances Langford Foundation. The foundation demonstrated its support of the community by providing a leadership gift of $5 million, which assisted the Martin Memorial Foundation in raising more than $18.5 million to fund the cost of developing the heart program.
The Thomson Reuters 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 data, Medicare cost reports, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services 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 severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.
About Martin Memorial: Martin Memorial Health Systems is a not-for-profit, community-based health care organization that has served the region for more than 70 years. It offers a continuum of care including preventative, primary and acute hospital care, as well as cancer and cardiac care, wellness and rehabilitation services. Its approximately 2,900 Associates, 375 affiliated physicians and 850 volunteers provide care at 12 different locations serving Martin and St. Lucie counties. Martin Memorial is a five-time winner of the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals Award, and was named a National Employer of Choice designee in 2009. To learn more, visit mmhs.com.
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