Heritage Valley Health System’s Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery Program, based at its Beaver campus, has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and quality outcomes in isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places Heritage Valley Health System among the elite for AVR surgery in the United States and Canada.
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, comparing and rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the United States and Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.
Historically, approximately 6% – 8% of participants receive the three-star rating for isolated AVR surgery. The latest analysis of data for AVR surgery covers a 3-year period, from July 2013 to June 2016, and included 464 participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database participants who have received three-star ratings,” said David M. Shahian, MD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality, Research, and Patient Safety. “Participation in the Database and public reporting demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement in health care delivery and helps provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”
“The STS three-star rating is an indicator of the high-level of quality cardiac surgical care that is available at Heritage Valley,” said Alexander Vasilakis, M.D., F.A.C.S., director of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Heritage Valley Health System. “We’re very privileged to have these outcomes because we have a very mature and very well practiced team.”
More information is available at The Society of Thoracic Surgeons website:
See Adult Cardiac Surgery Database Public Reporting – Isolated AVR
About Heritage Valley Health System
Heritage Valley Health System is a $480 million integrated delivery network providing comprehensive health care for residents of Allegheny, Beaver, Butler and Lawrence counties, in Pennsylvania; eastern Ohio; and the panhandle of West Virginia. In partnership with 3,500 employees and more than 480 physicians, Heritage Valley offers a broad range of medical, surgical and diagnostic services at its two hospitals, Heritage Valley Sewickley and Heritage Valley Beaver; in 60 physician offices; and 18 community satellite facilities. For more information about Heritage Valley Health System, please visit www.heritagevalley.org.
About STS
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 7,200 surgeons, researchers, and allied health professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.