AdventHealth’s Celebration, Daytona Beach and Orlando campuses recently earned three-star ratings from the Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patient care and outcomes. The three-star rating, the highest category of quality awarded by STS, indicates achievement of outcomes “significantly better than expected,” placing these three AdventHealth campuses in the top 20% of hospitals in the nation for CABG.
“The STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database is the world’s premier clinical registry for cardiac surgery, so this is a tremendous accomplishment,” explains AdventHealth Cardiothoracic Surgeon George Palmer, III, MD. “This level of achievement only happens when you have a dedicated team laser-focused on delivering the highest quality cardiac care to each and every patient, and I am gratified and blessed to be part of such a team.”
A not-for-profit organization, the Society of Thoracic Surgeons represents more than 7,600 surgeons, researchers and allied healthcare professionals worldwide. In 1989, the organization established the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database as a Quality improvement and patient safety initiative among cardiothoracic surgeons. A voluntary reporting program, the database currently houses more than 7.5 million cardiac surgery procedure records and has nearly 3,800 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, from more than 90% of groups that perform heart surgery in the U.S.
The STS CABG Composite rating evaluates outcomes within four domains: absence of operative mortality, absence of major morbidity, use of internal mammary artery (IMA), and use of evidence-based perioperative medications. The latest analysis of AdventHealth data included more than 20,000 cases and covered a 3-year period ending December 2021.
“Because the STS evaluation system is voluntary, it takes courage to put your program out there for review,” shares AdventHealth Cardiothoracic Surgeon Patrick T. Mangonon, MD.
Preparing for the STS submission required measurement and evaluation of every process that touches a cardiac patient within AdventHealth and included compilation of hundreds of data points. It also involved a multidisciplinary team, including administration, physicians and providers, nursing, surgical staff and anesthesia, closely collaborating to achieve alignment and to drive continuous quality improvement efforts.
“The process required constant focus, determination and discipline by every member of our team, and the honor is one we we all share,” comments Dr. Mangonon. “However, it is not a final destination. Earning a three-star rating only makes us want to continue to innovate and improve to achieve the best quality cardiac care for our patients.”
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