UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center Named One of Nation’s Top Heart Hospitals

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UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics. The Truven study examined the performance of more than 1,000 hospitals by analyzing outcomes for patients with heart failure and heart attacks and for those who received coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasties. This year’s winners were announced October 1 in Modern Healthcare magazine.

“This prestigious award recognizes UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center as one of the top heart hospitals in the United States based on the outstanding quality of our clinical care,” said Paul Viviano, CEO, UC San Diego Health System. “As the region’s only comprehensive cardiovascular center, we are dedicated to providing lifesaving cardiac care and research that makes a real difference in the lives of our patients locally and globally.”

Truven Health Analytics researchers analyzed 2010 and 2011 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, 2010 Medicare cost reports, and 2012 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 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 rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

“This honor supports our mission of delivering to our patients, and exhibiting to our medical residents and fellows, the world’s best cardiovascular care,” said Kirk L. Peterson, MD, director, Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center and professor of Cardiology and Medicine at UC San Diego School of Medicine. “Led by highly accomplished cardiovascular experts and teachers, we offer a combination of advanced cardiac diagnostics, standard and novel treatments, and access to a number of clinical programs only available here.”

The study evaluated general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals treating a broad spectrum of cardiology patients.  Results show that cardiovascular outcomes in U.S. hospitals are improving nationwide. Across all U.S. hospitals, 96 percent of cardiovascular inpatients survive and remain complication-free. Among the 50 Top Hospitals, performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

• Better risk-adjusted survival rates (41 percent fewer deaths than expected, compared with 9 percent fewer than expected at peer hospitals) for bypass surgery patients.
• Lower complications indices (35 percent lower rate of heart failure complications than peers).
• Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital after 30 days.
• Shorter hospital stays. The typical winning hospital released their bypass patients a full day sooner, and their heart attack and heart failure patients about three-quarters of a day sooner than their peers. 
• Lower costs. Top hospitals spend $3,500 less per bypass case and $1,000 less per angioplasty than non-winners.

"This year’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals have proven that a commitment to deliver excellent care is still attainable in times of economic uncertainty," said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and the 100 Top Hospitals® program at Truven Health Analytics. “The hospitals in this study have achieved higher levels of care and efficiency than their peers, demonstrating incredibly strong focus by cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, and cardiovascular service administrators and staff on basic care and outcomes."

In February 2005, UC San Diego received a $10 million gift from Richard and Maria (Gaby) Sulpizio to help construct this state-of-the-art cardiovascular patient care and clinical research facility.  The $138 million project came in on budget and ahead of time.  The UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is also the first hospital-based project in the region to receive LEED Gold certification from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC).  Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center has received Modern Healthcare’s highest design honor, the 2012 Modern Healthcare Design Award, and was ranked #10 on Soliant Health Care's annual list of top 20 most beautiful hospitals in the United States.

About UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center
UC San Diego Sulpizio Cardiovascular Center is dedicated to innovative care and the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The state-of-the-art facility, which opened in La Jolla in 2011, is the region’s first academic-based facility to combine all heart and vascular-related services, programs and technology under one roof. For more information, visit http://heartcenter.ucsd.edu

About Truven Health Analytics
Truven Health Analytics, formerly the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters, delivers unbiased information, analytic tools, benchmarks, and services to the healthcare industry. Hospitals, government agencies, employers, health plans, clinicians, pharmaceutical, and medical device companies have relied on us for more than 30 years. We combine our deep clinical, financial, and healthcare management expertise with innovative technology platforms and information assets to make healthcare better by collaborating with our customers to uncover and realize opportunities for improving quality, efficiency, and outcomes. With more than 2,000 employees globally, we have major offices in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Chicago; and Denver. Advantage Suite, Micromedex, ActionOI, MarketScan, and 100 Top Hospitals are registered trademarks or trademarks of Truven Health Analytics.  For more information, please visit www.truvenhealth.com