St. Luke’s Boise and Meridian Medical Centers
Named Among Top 50 Hospitals
for Cardiovascular Care

St. Luke's Boise / Meridian were selected by Thomson Reuters as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals award winner for the sixth time. The only Idaho provider to make the 2012 list, St. Luke's was recognized for excellence in cardiovascular outcomes, clinical process, extended outcomes, and efficiency in heart attack, heart failure, percutaneous coronary interventions such as angioplasty, and coronary artery bypass surgery.

To compile the list of winners, Thomson Reuters analyzed outcomes of patients during 2009 and 2010 at more than 1,000 hospitals.

“With heart disease remaining the leading cause of death in the United States, St. Luke’s Heart is committed to providing our community access to a level of heart care that continues to exceed their expectations,” said Chris Roth, St. Luke’s Treasure Valley CEO. “Achieving national recognition is a credit to our highly skilled and dedicated physicians, caregivers, and staff who go above and beyond to deliver outcomes that are among the best in the nation.”

Thomson Reuters found that 97 percent of cardiovascular inpatients in U.S. hospitals survive and approximately 96 percent remain complication-free, reflecting improved cardiovascular care across-the-board over the past year. The 50 top hospitals’ performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

• Better risk-adjusted survival rates (23 percent fewer deaths than non-Top 50 hospitals for bypass surgery patients).
• Lower complications indices (40 percent lower rate of heart failure complications).
• Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital after 30 days.
• Shorter hospital visits and lower costs. Top hospitals discharge bypass patients nearly a full day sooner and spend $4,200 less per bypass case. 
• Increased use of internal mammary artery (IMA) for coronary artery bypass surgeries. Top hospitals have increased their use of this recommended procedure from 88 to 96 percent