WICHITA – Wesley Medical Center has earned two distinguished and highly coveted 3-star quality ratings from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its coronary artery grafting bypass surgery (CABG) and CABG plus aortic valve replacement surgery programs, confirming Wesley is one of the best in the nation for patient safety and outcomes.
Only 7.25 percent of 980 hospitals rated nationwide earned any 3-star STS ratings. Historically, approximately 4 to 7 percent of participants receive the 3-star rating for aortic valve replacement plus CABG surgery, and only 6 to 10 percent of hospitals nationwide receive the CABG-only 3-star ratings.
“Receiving two 3-star ratings is a monumental task,” said Bill Voloch, president and CEO of Wesley Healthcare. “It means Wesley is saving lives. Every day, this is the safest place to have heart surgery.”
STS’s rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, 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.
“A 3-star rating means that the outcomes at Wesley are the best possible in the region,” said Scott Barnett, Wesley market director for cardiology. “It means we are a top-tier program in cardiac bypass surgery for outcomes and care.”
The STAT National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database, the Congenital Heart surgery Database, the General Thoracic Surgery Database, and the mechanical circulatory support database.
The STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database houses approximately 6.6 million surgical records and gathers information from more than 3,800 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists from more than 90 percent of groups that perform heart surgery in the US. STS public reporting online enables STS participants to voluntarily report to each other and the public their heart surgery scores and star ratings.
As part of the evaluation, STS followed outcomes and the data of patients who had cardiac bypass surgery at Wesley Medical Center. The comprehensive evaluation looked at 250 different data points including demographics, risks and outcomes to evaluate the program and assure Wesley gives the highest possible quality of care for patients following surgery and after discharge.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database participants who have received 3-star ratings,” said David 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 healthcare delivery and helps provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”
For more information about Wesley’s cardiovascular services, please visit www.wesleymc.com.
Wesley Healthcare is the region’s leading acute-care hospital network providing a full range of diagnostic and treatment services for patients throughout Kansas and northern Oklahoma since 1912. As a leader in Overall Recommended Care in national surveys, Wesley Medical Center treats more than 24,000 patients annually and delivers more than 5,800 babies – more than any hospital in a 13-state region. Wesley provides the most extensive emergency network in Wichita, with Wesley ER, Wesley West ER, Wesley Woodlawn ER, the region’s only pediatric ER, Wesley Derby ER. Wesley owns and operates Wesley Medical Center, Wesley Woodlawn Hospital & ER and Wesley Children’s Hospital. To learn more about Wesley Healthcare, please visit www.wesleymc.com.