St. Joseph’s Health Named One of the Nation's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Fortune and IBM Watson Health
November 17, 2020
Excellence of top cardiovascular hospitals points toward opportunities to potentially save thousands of additional lives and billions of dollars in costs
SYRACUSE, N.Y. — (November 17, 2020) St. Joseph’s Health was today named as one of the nation’s top performing hospitals by Fortune and IBM® Watson Health®. The annual Fortune/IBM 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study spotlights leading short-term, acute care, non-federal US hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients. The study is designed to identify impartial, actionable, and attainable benchmarks for hospital and clinical leaders as they work to raise their own organizations’ standards of performance in cardiac care.
“I am extremely proud of our cardiovascular physicians, mid-levels and nursing staff who contributed to our being named one of the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals,” said Dr. Philip Falcone, chief medical officer at St. Joseph’s Health. “This is an honor that exemplifies our commitment to quality and excellence in cardiovascular patient care. The entire Central New York community benefits greatly by our high standards and excellent outcomes.”
St. Joseph’s Health ranked first in the nation in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, second in Coronary Artery bypass graft, 19th in Heart Failure and 20th in Acute Myocardial Infarction.
“It’s especially gratifying to see our number one ranking in Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and our number two rank in Coronary Artery bypass graft,” said Falcone. “This designation demonstrates that St Joseph’s Health is recognized one of the very best in the nation in heart care.”
This year's study included 980 U.S. hospitals with cardiovascular service lines. Based on comparisons between the study winners and a peer group of similar hospitals in the study, the winners delivered better outcomes while operating more efficiently and at a lower cost.
Extrapolating the results of this year's study, if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities:
- More than 7,000 additional lives could be saved
- More than 5,000 heart patients could be complication-free
- More than $1.6 billion in inpatient costs could be saved
“With more than 120 million American adults living with some form of cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular services are among the most critical in healthcare,” said Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals Program Lead, IBM Watson Health. “Hospitals are constantly working to improve clinical and operational performance, and the exceptional organizations on this list demonstrate the standard for top performing cardiac care. Their benchmarks serve as a real-world checkpoint for cardiovascular care across the U.S.”
From performing the first successful open-heart surgery in Syracuse to helping pioneer new protocols for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR), St. Joseph’s Health has been at the forefront of heart care, both regionally and nationally, for decades. In the past 10 years, St. Joseph’s has reinforced that position, expanding its team of highly trained cardiac specialists and adding to its menu of advanced interventional procedures, minimally invasive surgeries and mechanical supports to treat even the most complex cases. St. Joseph’s opened a 45,000-square-foot Cardiovascular Institute in 2018. The program serves a 15-county area that extends from Canada to Pennsylvania, and from the Finger Lakes to Utica. For more information, visit https://everybeatmatterssjh.org/.
The annual report highlights the top-performing cardiovascular hospitals in the U.S. based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational, and patient satisfaction metrics and data.
The winning hospitals were announced in Fortune. For more information, visit https://www.ibm.com/watson-health/services/100-top-hospitals.
About St. Joseph’s Health
“St. Joseph’s Health is a regional non-profit health care system based in Syracuse, NY. St. Joseph’s has been an innovative leader in health care since our founding in 1869 as the first hospital open to the public in the city of Syracuse. Offering primary, specialty and home care, a Magnet-recognized hospital, and collaboration with community partners, St. Joseph's Health advances the well-being of the communities we serve through an expanding range of services to ensure our patients achieve optimum long-term health. St. Joseph’s is the only hospital in Syracuse to hold the LeapFrog ‘A’ safety rating, ranked by Consumer Reports among the top 15 heart surgery centers in the country, a designated Stroke Center and a U.S. News “Best Regional Hospital.” The St. Joseph’s Health Hospital NICU was the first in Syracuse and is celebrating its 50th Anniversary throughout 2020. St. Joseph’s Health is affiliated with St. Joseph’s Physicians, and is a member of Trinity Health. For more information, visit www.sjhsyr.org/legacy.”
About the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals Study
The Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study uses independent and objective research to analyze cardiovascular hospital performance in clinical and operational areas addressing inpatient and 30-day mortality, patient complications, 30-day readmission, average length of stay, 30-day episode-of-care payment, and adjusted cost per case, for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and heart failure (HF) patients. The study has been conducted annually since 1998.
About IBM Watson Health
IBM Watson Health is a data, analytics, and technology partner for the health industry. Supported by the innovation of IBM and intelligence of Watson, we are committed to helping build smarter health ecosystems. Through the combination of our deep industry expertise in health, data and analytics, actionable insights, and reputation for security and trust, Watson Health is working together with its clients and partners to help them achieve simpler processes, better care insights, faster breakthroughs, and improved experiences for people around the world. Learn more at https://www.ibm.com/watson-health.