Inova Fairfax Hospital Named One of Nation's Top 100 Cardiovascular Hospitals

10/27/2002

From: Lisa Wolfington of Inova Fairfax Hospital, 703-321-2946 lisa.wolfington@inova.com

FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- Inova Fairfax Hospital was named one of the nation's top 100 cardiovascular hospitals today in a new study by Solucient, a leading health care information and research company.

The study finds that an additional 4,400 heart disease patients could survive each year if all hospitals performed at the level of the Top 100 Cardiovascular Benchmark Hospitals. This is the second consecutive year Inova Fairfax Hospital has won the benchmark award, and the third time the hospital has been named to the list of Top 100 cardiovascular hospitals (years previously on the list were 1999 and 2001). Inova Fairfax Hospital is the only local hospital in the Washington, D.C., metro region to make the list.

The findings show that Top 100 cardiovascular hospitals have lower median complication rates and higher average survival rates -- particularly for patients with congestive heart failure and patients undergoing angioplasty or coronary artery bypass surgery. For example, benchmark hospitals had a median of 26 percent fewer deaths for coronary artery bypass surgery than non-winning hospitals.

The Top 100 hospitals also demonstrated lower costs and shorter lengths of stay for coronary artery bypass procedures both "off-pump" (without a heart-lung machine during surgery) and "on pump" than did peer hospitals. Additional analysis shows hospitals that won the award three or more times, such as Inova Fairfax, had the shortest lengths of stay and lowest costs for both approaches to coronary artery bypass surgery.

"We are honored to be named one of the top cardiovascular hospitals in the nation," said Candice Saunders, chief operating officer, Inova Heart Institute. "It's a testament to the dedication, hard work and expertise of our physicians, nurses and staff who continually strive for excellence in patient care."

Another critical factor regarding outcomes at Top 100 hospitals involves the actual number or volume of procedures performed each year. Award-winning hospitals have higher procedure volumes than their peers. For instance, benchmark facilities performed a median of at least 80 percent more angioplasty and bypass procedures than non-winning peer hospitals.

"These new benchmarks demonstrate that many American hospitals are successfully raising the bar for improved cardiovascular outcomes every year," explains Jean Chenowith, executive director of the Solucient Top 100 hospitals research program.

"Because the selection of the winner is based solely on objective analysis of cardiovascular outcomes in all U.S. hospitals, the 'winners' are not just the hospitals themselves, but the communities where these high-performing hospitals are located."

If all hospitals performed at the level of the Top 100, post-surgical infection rates could decrease by 18 percent in non-winning hospitals, while post-procedural hemorrhage rates could decrease by 26 percent. The study also finds the average length of stay for cardiac patients could decrease by more than half a day -- eliminating 402,000 patient days each year if all hospitals achieved benchmark performance levels.

The study focused on hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients and includes all hospitals that had at least 30 unique cases in each of the following groups for 1999 and 2000: -- acute myocardial infarction -- congestive heart failure -- percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty -- coronary artery bypass graft

Hospitals that met these criteria were analyzed according to the following measures of clinical quality practices and efficient operations: -- procedure volume threshold -- risk-adjusted medical mortality -- risk-adjusted surgical mortality -- risk-adjusted complications index -- percentage of coronary artery bypass patients with internal mammary artery use -- severity-adjusted average length of stay -- wage and severity-adjusted average cost

Solucient's annual study identifies hospitals that display superior performance in the clinical management of cardiovascular disease. Its aim is to provide benchmarks to improve the standard of care in cardiology, including specific procedures and conditions.

Inova Fairfax Hospital has provided state-of-the-art cardiovascular services to children and adults for more than 25 years. Building on its record and rich history, a special Institute dedicated solely to the causes and treatment of cardiovascular disease is now being built. The Inova Heart Institute, located on the campus of Inova Fairfax Hospital, is expected to open in 2004 and expand and enhance the nationally recognized comprehensive cardiac services now available at Inova Fairfax Hospital. Cardiovascular disease is one of the nation's most serious health problems and is the leading cause of death, killing nearly one million Americans each year, according to the American Heart Association. It accounts for at least 300,000 Medicare hospitalizations annually and costs an estimated $330 billion in medical and disability costs. For more information about the study, log on to www.solucient.com.

Solucient, based in Evanston, Ill., is the leading source of health care business intelligence. Its mission is to provide comprehensive, results-oriented information to drive business growth, manage costs, and deliver quality care. Solucient's expertise and proven solutions enable providers, payers, employers, and pharmaceutical companies to achieve results and realize value. By bridging the gap between data and information, knowledge and value, Solucient drives intelligent decisions.

Inova Health System is a not-for-profit health care system based in Northern Virginia that consists of hospitals and other health services including emergency and urgent care centers, home care, nursing homes, mental health and blood donor services, and wellness classes. Governed by a voluntary board of community members, Inova's mission is to provide quality care and improve the health of the diverse communities it serves.