PHILADELPHIA, December 1, 2022 – The Division of Cardiac Surgery at Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia, now a part of Jefferson Health, has received national recognition for attaining the highest standards in patient care in heart bypass surgery.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons has given Einstein a three-star ranking, the highest category of quality, placing it among the elite hospitals in the United States and Canada.
Einstein Philadelphia also was recently named a top hospital for cardiac care, one of only a dozen in Pennsylvania and 100 across the country that received a 2023 Specialty Excellence Award from Healthgrades.
Louis Samuels, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery, said he is gratified by the national recognition that reflects the dedication and commitment of the cardiac surgery team.
"The field demands technical excellence and an extreme attention to detail and is a team effort involving the surgeon, nurses, anesthesiologist, advanced practice providers and a perfusionist, among others," he said. "Their efforts are affirmed by these rankings."
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 7,600 surgeons, researchers and allied health care professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for heart and lung surgeries.
Einstein is one of 978 cardiothoracic surgeons or groups of surgeons who submit case records for analysis and comparison to benchmark data for quality improvement initiatives. Only 20 percent of participants achieve the three-star ranking.
The new rankings reflect analysis of data for coronary artery bypass grafting – CABG procedures – during a three-year period from July 2019 to June of 2022.
The STS evaluates performance in heart bypass such as rates of patient mortality, re-operation, kidney failure, wound infection, stroke and prolonged intubation among them.
Dr. David M. Shahian, Chair of the STS Task Force on Quality Measurement, congratulated the participants who received the three-star rating, adding: “Participation in the database and public reporting demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement in health care delivery and helps provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”