Fortune/IBM Watson Health released the list of 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list reflecting hospitals that provide high-quality, cost-effective care for heart patients.
Their study data showed a 13.5% decline in patients treated for cardiovascular conditions in 2020. Meanwhile, the number of patients diagnosed with heart failure is projected to rise by 46%, to more than 8 million, by 2030. In total, heart disease is estimated to cost the country about $363 billion per year.
This annual ranking of top cardiovascular hospitals —IBM Watson Health’s 20th — includes a broad range of indicators from publicly available data to evaluate performance, including inpatient and 30-day mortality, patient complications, 30-day readmission, and average lengths of stay. They also assess 30-day episode-of-care payment and adjusted cost per case, for acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass graft, percutaneous coronary intervention, and heart-failure patients. For this year’s list, a patient experience measure was added to the criteria. (Note: Hospitals do not apply for awards, and winners do not pay to market this honor.)
Among 951 short-term, acute care, nonfederal hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of heart patients, the winning 50 bested the field when it came to indicators intended to measure clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, financial performance, and patient experience. By IBM Watson Health’s calculation, if all U.S. cardiovascular hospitals performed at such a level, we’d be much better off—with 6,400 fewer lives lost, 5,000 fewer bypass and angioplasty patients who suffer complications, and $1.4 billion saved each year.
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