FALL RIVER, Mass. – Southcoast Health today announced that it has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Truven Health Analytics, an independent and objective research firm. The study, now in its 17th year, singled out 50 hospitals from across the country that achieved superior clinical outcomes in this critical area of care. Southcoast Health is the only community hospital in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island be recognized.

“Time and time again Southcoast has distinguished itself as one of the country’s elite providers of cardiac care,” said Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Health. “The part of this success that I am most proud about is that this top-notch care is being provided in a community hospital setting, and is available to every person in our region regardless of social or financial standing.

“Southcoast Health is the leader of cardiac services in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In the past year, the Joint Commission, the leading accreditor of healthcare organizations in the United States, recognized Southcoast Health as a Top Performer on Key Quality Measures for its performances in heart attack, heart failure and surgical care. Southcoast Health was also ranked first in New England – eighth in the nation – among the Best Hospitals for Heart Attack Care according to BetterDoctor, an independent consumer health website. Healthgrades recently named Southcoast Health One of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Cardiac Care for the fifth year in a row, and a recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award for the 10th year in a row.

“These well-deserved recognitions and awards are the result of the tireless efforts of our doctors, nurses and ancillary staff,” said Dr. Margaret Ferrell, Physician-in-Chief of Cardiovascular Services at Southcoast Health. “The skill and dedication of the individuals who make up our team are second to none, and I’m very proud to see our achievements recognized once again on a national level.”

The Southcoast Cardiovascular Service program provides a broad spectrum of services locally, including open heart procedures, cardiac catheterizations, coronary angioplasty and cardiac implantable devices. In 2002, Southcoast Health became the first community hospital in Massachusetts to launch an open heart surgery program, and this year we will perform more than 400 open heart surgeries, which is more than some hospitals in major metropolitan areas.

Southcoast’s state-of-the-art electrophysiology laboratories and hybrid operating room at Charlton Memorial Hospital provide diagnostic testing for cardiac arrhythmias and minimally-invasive procedures such as arrhythmia ablations and Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR). More recently, Southcoast is one of only three hospitals in New England to be implanting the Watchman Device, which can allow atrial fibrillation patients to safely discontinue the use of blood thinners.

How are the Truven Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals chosen?

The rigorous processes used to calculate and measure hospital service lines leverage industry-leading, risk-adjusted methodologies developed and maintained by Truven Health scientists over many years. The study is widely regarded as the leading program for evaluating leadership impact in a hospital, as well as for evaluating quality indicators and efficiencies.

The Truven Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitalsstudy measures performance 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.
For the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study, Truven Health researchers analyzed 2013 and 2014 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data, 2014 Medicare cost reports, and 2015 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data.

The winning hospitals were announced in the Nov. 9, 2015, edition of Modern Healthcare magazine. More information on this study and other 100 Top Hospitals research is available at 100tophospitals.com.