King’s Daughters cardiothoracic surgery group, Cardiothoracic Surgeons
of Kentucky, has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society
of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in isolated
coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures. The three-star rating,
which denotes the highest category of quality, places King’s Daughters
among the elite for heart bypass surgery in the United States and Canada.
(Pictured from left: Robert Fried, M.D.; Juan Bastidas, M.D.; and Eric
Bronstein, M.D.)
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly
regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the benchmarked
outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs across the United States and
Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures
for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database
participant.
“Congratulations to the open-heart surgery team at King’s Daughters
for once again achieving the highest quality rating possible from the
Society of Thoracic Surgeons,” said health system CEO Kristie Whitlatch.
“We are incredibly proud of our surgeons – Eric Bronstein,
M.D., Robert Fried, M.D., and Juan Bastidas, M.D. – for delivering
outstanding care and quality quarter after quarter, year after year.”
Historically, approximately 10 to 15 percent of participants receive the
three-star rating for isolated CABG surgery. The latest analysis of data
for CABG surgery covers a 1-year period, from July 2015 to June 2016.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database
participants who have received three-star ratings,” said David M.
Shahian, MD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality, Research, and Patient
Safety. “Participation in the Database and public reporting demonstrates
a commitment to quality improvement in health care delivery and helps
provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help
them make informed decisions about health care.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for
quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons.
The Database includes three components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database
(ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), and the General
Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD). The STS ACSD houses approximately 6.3
million surgical records and gathers information from more than 3,700
participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists from
more than 90 percent of groups that perform heart surgery in the US. STS
public reporting online enables STS ACSD participants to voluntarily report
to each other and the public their heart surgery scores and star ratings.
About STS
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization
that represents more than 7,400 surgeons, researchers, and allied health
care professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible
outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other
surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to
enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest
quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.