ANN ARBOR, Mich., Nov. 14, 2011 /Coal Geology-PRNewswire/ — Thomson Reuters today released its annual study identifying the top U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services.

The study, in its thirteenth year, singled out 50 hospitals that achieved superior clinical outcomes.

“This year’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals have continued to deliver excellent care and have been able to improve their performance in a tough economic climate,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals® program at Thomson Reuters. “The hospitals in this study have provided measurably better care and are more efficient than their peers, demonstrating incredibly strong focus by hospital leadership at a time when the healthcare system is steeped in volatility.”

The study shows 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-winning 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 than non-winners.

• 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

The study evaluated general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals treating a broad spectrum of cardiology patients.

Thomson Reuters researchers analyzed 2009 and 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, Medicare cost reports, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data. They scored hospitals in key performance areas: risk-adjusted mortality, risk-adjusted complications, core measures (a group of measures that assess process of care), percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

The Thomson Reuters 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals were classified into three comparison groups. (The order of hospitals in the list does not reflect performance ranking.)

Teaching Hospitals With Cardiovascular Residency Programs
Mayo Clinic Hospital – Phoenix, AZ
The University of Kansas Hospital – Kansas City, KS
Lahey Clinic – Burlington, MA
Saint Vincent Hospital – Worcester, MA
Park Nicolett Methodist Hospital – St. Louis Park, MN
Hackensack University Medical Center – Hackensack, NJ
Deborah Heart and Lung Center – Browns Mills, NJ
NYU Langone Medical Center – New York, NY
Kettering Medical Center – Kettering, OH
Doctors Hospital – Columbus, OH
The Washington Hospital – Washington, PA
Allegheny General Hospital – Pittsburgh, PA
Robert Packer Hospital – Sayre, PA
Bryn Mawr Hospital –  Bryn Mawr, PA
Lankenau Hospital – Wynnewood, PA

Teaching Hospitals Without Cardiovascular Residency Programs
Morton Plant Hospital – Clearwater, FL
St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center – Boise, ID
St. John’s Hospital – Springfield, IL
Decatur Memorial Hospital – Decatur, IL
Marquette General Hospital – Marquette, MI
St. Joseph Mercy Hospital – Ann Arbor, MI
Mercy Medical Center – Canton, OH
Aultman Hospital – Canton, OH
Bethesda North Hospital – Cincinnati, OH
St. Luke’s Hospital – Bethlehem, PA
UPMC Hamot – Erie, PA
St. Joseph Medical Center – Reading, PA
Memorial Hermann Hospital System – Houston, TX
Baptist St. Anthony’s Health System – Amarillo TX
Corpus Christi Medical Center – Corpus Christi, TX
St. Mark’s Hospital – Salt Lake City, UT
St. Mary’s Hospital – Richmond, VA
Aspirus Wausau Hospital – Wausau, WI
Gundersen Lutheran – La Crosse, WI
Meriter Hospital – Madison, WI

Community Hospitals
St. Francis Medical Center – Lynwood, CA
French Hospital Medical Center – San Luis Obispo, CA
Martin Memorial Medical Center – Stuart, FL
Provena Covenant Medical Center – Urbana, IL
St. Vincent Heart Center of Indiana – Indianapolis, IN
Heart Hospital of Lafayette – Lafayette, LA
Nebraska Heart Institute & Heart Hospital – Lincoln, NE
Gaston Memorial Hospital – Gastonia, NC
The Chester County Hospital and Health System – West Chester, PA
Doylestown Hospital – Doylestown, PA
Maury Regional Medical Center – Columbia, TN
Heart Hospital of Austin – Austin, TX
Dixie Regional Medical Center – St. George, UT
Memorial Regional Medical Center – Mechanicsville, VA
Bellin Hospital – Green Bay, WI

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world’s leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals.  We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world’s most trusted news organization.  With headquarters in New York and major operations inLondon and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries.  For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.

SOURCE Thomson Reuters Healthcare

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2011 /Coal Geology-PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Access to paid sick days could save $1 billion in medical costs annually according to a report released today by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR). This includes $500 million in taxpayer-funded public health care programs for children, elders, and low-income Americans. Currently, more than 44 million American workers do not have access to paid sick days, and more are unable to use time off to take care of sick children or other family members.  

“Taking time off work to see a primary care doctor is common sense, but over 40 million Americans cannot do so without losing pay or their job,” said Kevin Miller, Senior Research Associate with IWPR, and an author of the report. “Americans are paying over $1 billion each year in preventable emergency department costs because hard-working people without paid sick days are unable to get the preventative and early treatment they and their children need.”

The United States spends approximately $47 billion annually on emergency department services.  IWPR findings show that, by shifting the treatment of some preventable illnesses from emergency departments to less expensive doctor’s offices, clinics, and hospital outpatient settings, universal access to paid sick days would save $1.1 billion annually. Currently, approximately $500 million of these preventable costs are covered by taxpayer-funded public health care for children, elders, veterans and low-income families, including Medicare, Medicaid, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), and Veterans Affairs services. The remainder of preventable emergency department costs are accrued to individuals who pay out of pocket for health care and to insurance companies and their customers.

“As high and rising health care expenditures continuing to be a top concern for policymakers and businesses alike, paid sick days is a cost saving solution that should receive serious attention,”  saidClaudia Williams, Research Analyst with IWPR and an author of the report.

After controlling for various characteristics, including health insurance status, IWPR’s analyses reveal that paid sick days are associated with better self-reported health, fewer delays in medical care, and fewer emergency department visits for adults and their children. Controlling for other factors, workers without paid sick days are 40 percent more likely than workers with paid sick days to delay medical care for themselves or a family member. Approximately 2.6 million fewer Americans would delay medical care each year if paid sick days were universal.

Employees with access to paid sick days have an easier time getting to a doctor during regular business hours to care for themselves or family members. In turn, access to paid sick days can help to decrease the likelihood that a worker will put off needed care and increases access to preventive care among workers and their children.

Workers without private insurance tend to have less access to paid sick days than workers with private health insurance. Previous IWPR analysis found that access to paid sick days is significantly rarer among Hispanics and blacks. Asian Americans and whites overall have the highest rates of access at 67 and 60 percent respectively, compared to 56 percent of blacks and 42 percent of Hispanics.

Many states and localities, as well as the U.S. Congress, have considered legislation that would ensure workers are able to earn paid sick time to take care of themselves and their families when they are ill. Such laws have been approved in the state of Connecticut, the cities of San Francisco and Seattle, and the District of Columbia. Two-fifths of private sector employees, including three in four food service workers, three in five personal health care workers and three in four child care workers, do not currently have access to paid sick days.

The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) conducts rigorous research and disseminates its findings to address the needs of women and their families, promote public dialogue, and strengthen communities and societies.

SOURCE Institute for Women’s Policy Research