Five Calif. Hospitals Among Best in U.S. for Cardiovascular Care

Several California hospitals are among the top 50 in the U.S. for cardiovascular care, according to an annual report by Truven Health Analytics, the Sacramento Bee reports.

The report ranks hospitals based on outcomes for patients who:

• Experience heart attacks or heart failure; and
• Undergo angioplasties or coronary bypass surgery (Glover, Sacramento Bee, 11/16).

According to Truven, if all hospitals providing cardiovascular care performed at the same level this year as the top 50 selected, it would have resulted in:

• 8,000 additional saved lives;
• $1.3 billion in savings; and
• 3,500 more complication-free bypass or angioplasty procedures.

Details of Hospitals on List

The 50 top hospitals for cardiovascular care spent an average of:

• $6,100 less on each bypass surgery than hospitals not on the list; and
• $1,200 less on each heart failure patient admitted.

In addition, hospitals on the list had fewer complications, shorter average lengths of stay and "significantly higher inpatient survival rates," according to Truven.       

Five California hospitals made the top 50 list:

• Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, which is a teaching hospital without a cardiovascular residency program;
• Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, a community hospital;
• Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills, a community hospital;
• Scripps Green Hospital in La Jolla, which is a teaching hospital with a cardiovascular residency program; and
• Sutter Medical Center in Sacramento, which is a teaching hospital without a cardiovascular residency program (Truven release, 11/9).