12/07/2004
 (HARTFORD, Conn.) Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center was named today by Solucient to its list of the countrys 100 Top Hospitals for cardiovascular services.
The study, 100 Top Hospitals�: Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success, was released by Solucient, the Evanston, Ill.-based health care information company. The annual study measures performance on key criteria at the nations top performing acute care hospitals.
Todays announcement follows Solucients designation of Saint Francis in 2003 as one of the nations 100 Top Hospitals based on overall operations. That marked
the sixth time that Saint Francis was named to the overall 100 Top Hospitals list and earned it the designation of a Best of the 100 Top Benchmarks Hospital.�
We are committed to providing world-class cardiac care,� said Christopher M. Dadlez, Saint Francis president and chief executive officer. This study demonstrates that the care Saint Francis provides is among the very best available. And given the high volume of open-heart surgeries we perform, it is clear that we are the states leading hospital for cardiovascular services.�
The Solucient study showed that although coronary bypass patients are sicker than ever, more of them are surviving surgery, and at higher than anticipated rates. Institutions on the 100 Top Hospitals list showed the best outcomes for these patients. Results of the 2004 survey showed a significant increase in the severity of co-morbid conditions and complications among cardiac bypass patients, translating to a higher expected� death rate of five more patients per 1000 by 2003. However, contrary to this expected rise in mortality, the study shows the reverse: a significant decrease in the actual death rate of five patients per 1000 by 2003.
According to the studys authors, if cardiovascular services in all acute care hospitals performed at the same level as the hospitals with the nations top cardiovascular services, 4,200 additional cardiovascular patients could survive each year; and an additional 1,600 patients could be complication-free. The study analyzed acute care
hospitals nationwide using detailed empirical performance date from publicly available Medicare MediPAR data and Medicare cost reports.
Cardiovascular services at Saint Francis are provided through the Hoffman Heart Institute of Connecticut, the first comprehensive heart institute in Southern New England. Each year, more than 1,400 open heart surgeries and some 5,400 cardiac catheterization/angioplasty procedures are performed at Saint Francis.
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