DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. – (September 2, 2021) – UF Health Heart Surgery at Halifax Health has earned the highest and most distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in aortic valve replacement (AVR) combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The three-star rating, places UF Health Heart Surgery at Halifax Health among the elite for AVR+CABG 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, 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 4%–7% of participants receive the three-star rating for AVR+CABG surgery. The latest analysis of data for AVR+CABG surgery covers a 1-year period, from January 2020 to December 2020.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database participants who have received three-star ratings,” said David M. Shahian, MD, chair of the Task Force on Quality Measurement. “Participation in the Database and public reporting demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement in health care delivery and provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”
On achieving the honor, Matt Petkus, Vice President of Physician Services, says “The STS 3 star ranking achieved by the UF Health Heart at Halifax Health surgery program is a testament to the incredible team work and effort that happens here at Halifax Health on a daily basis. This along with the IBM/Watson Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital Award demonstrates to our community that when it comes to heart disease, there is no better place to be.”
The STS 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 (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS ACSD houses approximately 6.9 million surgical records and gathers information from more than 3,800 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists from more than 90% of hospitals that perform heart surgery in the US. STS public reporting online enables STS ACSD participants to voluntarily report to each other and the public their heart surgery scores and star ratings.
For further information on the UF Health Heart Surgery at Halifax Health program, please visit halifaxhealth.org/heartcare.
About Halifax Health
Recognized as one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ in the United States by IBM Watson Health™, Halifax Health serves Volusia and Flagler counties, providing a continuum of health care services through a network of organizations including a tertiary hospital, two community hospitals, urgent care, psychiatric services, a cancer treatment center with five outreach locations, the area’s largest hospice, a center for inpatient rehabilitation, outpatient rehabilitation clinics, primary care walk-in clinics, a clinic specializing in women’s health, a pediatric care community clinic, three children’s medical practices, a home health care agency and an exclusive provider organization. Halifax Health offers the area’s only Level II Trauma Center, Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC), Center for Transplant Services, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Pediatric Emergency Department, Child and Adolescent Behavioral Services, complete Neurosurgical Services, OB Emergency Department and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit that cares for babies born earlier than 28 weeks. For more information, visit halifaxhealth.org
About University of Florida Health
UF Health is a world-class academic health center that combines leading-edge research at campuses around Florida with outstanding clinical care at a network of hospitals around the state. The flagship is UF Health Shands Hospital, ranked the No. 1 hospital in Florida in the 2020-21 U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals survey, with nine adult and three pediatric specialties in the top 50 in the nation, more than any other hospital in Florida.
With main campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville as well as satellite sites in Central Florida and several other locations, UF Health provides exemplary health care to patients across the third-most populous state in the nation. UF Health consists of six health colleges, nine research centers and institutes,10 hospitals — including two teaching hospitals and five specialty hospitals — and a host of physician medical practices and outpatient services.
The backbone of UF Health is a talented and dedicated workforce of more than 33,000 people who provide lifesaving care and research breakthroughs for more than 3 million patients who come to UF Health each year from around the U.S. and more than 30 countries.
UF Health is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. As part of the state’s “safety-net’’ hospital system, caring for people who have little or no medical coverage, UF Health provided more than $254.9 million in unsupported charity care and social responsibility across its Gainesville and Jacksonville campuses in fiscal year 2019. Annually, UF Health contributes more than $4.6 billion to Florida’s overall economy.
Our mission is to promote health through outstanding and high-quality patient care, innovative and rigorous education in the health professions and biomedical sciences, and high-impact research across the spectrum of basic, translational and clinical investigation. Visit www.UFHealth.org to learn more.
About STS
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 7,300 surgeons, researchers, and allied health care 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.
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