Northwell Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology Programs Rank Among New York’s Best

Five Northwell hospitals on Long Island and NYC distinguished for superior cardiac outcomes

Two newly released New York State Department of Health (DOH) reports rank five Northwell Health hospitals as among the state’s best for cardiac surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), a non-surgical procedure used to treat narrowing of the heart’s coronary arteries, and cited several of its physicians for superior outcomes from 2016-2018.

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Northwell Health interventional cardiologist performs an angioplasty procedure. Photo credit: Northwell Health

Lenox Hill Hospital (LHH) in Manhattan, South Shore University Hospital (SSUH) in Bay Shore, and the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital (SABHH) at North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) in Manhasset were rated among the state’s best outcomes for certain types of open-heart surgery while the SABHH at NSUH and LHH also were recognized for superior survival rates for PCI cases. Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center was ranked for superior outcomes for emergency PCI. These hospitals all earned the prestigious double-star asterisk for statistically superior outcomes as reported by the DOH.

Lenox Hill Hospital was the only New York City hospital with significantly better risk adjusted outcomes for valve or valve with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, the repair or replacement of heart valves and for those in need of surgeries for both valve and CABG surgery, according to DOH data. Its statistical analysis of risk-adjusted outcomes for adult cardiac surgery took place during the full three-year reporting period from 2016-2018. South Shore was the only hospital on Long Island to achieve a similar success rate in the same surgical category. Just two other hospitals statewide also earned the double asterisk for superior outcomes in this category.

The cardiac surgery report also showed that LHH, SABHH at NSUH, and SSUH were among four hospitals across the state to receive double-star rankings for superior outcomes in isolated CABG for 2016-2018 discharges, meaning that all three of these Northwell Health hospitals had mortality rates significantly less than the statewide average of 1.58 percent. In addition, Lenox Hill and South Shore were among five hospitals statewide to earn the double asterisk for significantly better outcomes in isolated CABG or valve or valve/CABG surgery.

“The outcomes of our cardiothoracic and cardiology teams have been validated as superior by the state’s department of health and found to be statistically significantly better than most other programs in New York State,” said Alan Hartman, MD, senior vice president and executive director of cardiothoracic surgery at Northwell Health. “As a health system, we are truly unique in reproducing high-quality patient outcomes at different hospitals across the region. Our deliberate and extraordinary commitment to collaborate, communicate and share best practices with all cardiac teams produces excellent patient outcomes, supported by the expertise of our health care staff and the advanced hospital infrastructure systemwide.”

The DOH report analyzed 67,503 total adult cardiac surgeries – including isolated CABG, valve, valve/CABG, and other cardiac surgeries – performed at 38 hospitals across New York from 2016-2018. In addition, 153,201 PCI and 12,579 TAVR (transcatheter aortic valve replacement) procedures, which are minimally invasive, catheter-placed valves, were reported.

The SABHH at NSUH and Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, a Northwell affiliate, were the only two hospitals in the state to earn a double asterisk for outcomes that were statistically better than the statewide average for discharges in 2018. Lenox Hill received a double asterisk for risk adjusted mortality rate for all cases and LIJ was awarded a double-star designation for risk-adjusted mortality rates for emergency cases for three years rolling, from 2016-2018. Staten Island University Hospital was one of seven hospitals to receive a double asterisk for low PCI readmission rates in 2018. LHH was one of only two hospitals in the state to earn a double asterisk for TAVR outcomes, which were better than the statewide average and reported zero deaths for the three years.

“Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death among women and men in the state and the country,” said Jeffrey Kuvin, MD, senior vice president of cardiology of Northwell’s Central and Eastern regions, and chair of cardiology at the SABHH at NSUH and LIJMC. “The state’s annual DOH report provides our teams with valuable information regarding the outcomes of open-heart surgery and catheter-based procedures and we use these results to improve the quality of care across our system. These DOH data will also help New Yorkers make important choices about their cardiac health care.”

Four of the 11 cardiothoracic surgeons who had significantly better outcomes listed by the DOH report were from Northwell Health, including Robert Kalimi, MD and Harold Fernandez, MD (SSUH), Nirav Patel, MD (LHH), and James Taylor, MD (SABHH at NSUH); Northwell’s interventional cardiologist Barry Kaplan, MD (SABHH at NSUH) was listed for significantly better PCI outcomes.

To see copies of the DOH reports, go to:

Adult Cardiac Surgery

https://health.ny.gov/statistics/diseases/cardiovascular/heart_disease/docs/2016-2018_adult_cardiac_surgery.pdf

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

https://health.ny.gov/statistics/diseases/cardiovascular/docs/pci_2016-2018.pdf

About Northwell Health

Northwell Health is New York State’s largest health care provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, 850 outpatient facilities and more than 12,000 affiliated physicians. We care for over two million people annually in the New York metro area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 79,000 employees – 18,900 nurses and 4,900 employed doctors, including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We’re making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

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