CONCORD TOWNSHIP, Ohio, November 11, 2009 - Lake Health is best in Ohio for Cardiac Surgery and is among the top 5 percent in Overall Cardiac Services and Cardiac Surgery in the nation according to a comprehensive annual study just released by HealthGrades, the leading independent healthcare ratings organization. The HealthGrades study annually assesses patient outcomes—mortality and complication rates—at virtually all of the nation’s nearly 5,000 nonfederal hospitals.

For at least five years in a row Lake Health has achieved five-star ratings in Overall Cardiac Services (2006-2010), Cardiac Surgery (2006 - 2010), Coronary Bypass Surgery (2006 - 2010), the Treatment of Heart Attack (2006 - 2010), and Treatment of Heart Failure (2004 - 2010).

Lake Health also achieved five star ratings in the following areas:

• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Stroke Five Years in a Row (2006 - 2010)
• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Pneumonia Five Years in a Row (2006 - 2010)
• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of GI Bleed Two Years in a Row (2009 & 2010)
• Five-Star Rated for Treatment of Respiratory Failure Two Years in a Row (2009 & 2010)

"It's an honor to be ranked number one in Ohio for cardiac surgery and among the top hospitals in the country for overall cardiac care," said Cynthia Moore-Hardy, FACHE, president and CEO of Lake Health. "I'd like to congratulate our physicians, surgeons and staff for their dedication to quality and the outstanding patient outcomes they provide to this community."

Lake Health developed its cardiothoracic surgery program in 1997 in affiliation with the Cleveland Clinic Heart Surgery Program. Using the most advanced minimally invasive techniques and state-of-the-art technology, Lake Health performs a wide range of cardiac procedures including primary and redo coronary revascularization, valve repair and replacement and aortic dissections.

According to the twelfth annual HealthGrades Hospital Quality in America study top-rated hospitals had a 52 percent lower mortality rate than the U.S. national average when looking at the patient outcomes of 17 procedures and diagnoses ranging from bypass surgery to treatment for heart attack. When the top-rated hospitals were compared to the poorest performers, there was an even greater difference, 72 percent lower mortality.

In the treatment of severe heart attacks, every minute counts. Lake Health, is at the forefront of a national crusade to reduce door-to-balloon time—the speed at which a hospital can perform often lifesaving balloon angioplasty or coronary intervention on a patient who is having a heart attack.

As part of a systemwide initiative, Lake Health has improved processes to dramatically reduce the time in which heart attack patients are diagnosed and treated. Since January 2009, the health system has achieved door-to-balloon times of 90 minutes or less, which the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have established as the gold standard for quality of care.

For providing heart attack patients with quicker care and better outcomes, Lake Health recently received prestigious accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. This accreditation acknowledges that Lake Health provides the best possible care to cardiac patients through effective collaboration among the clinical team; application of the latest technology; the use of innovative protocols; and seamless coordination with area emergency medical services to ensure that patients get the treatment they need during the critical early stages of a heart attack.

HealthGrades Ratings

HealthGrades' hospital ratings and awards reflect the track record of patient outcomes at hospitals in the form of mortality and complication rates. HealthGrades rates hospitals independently based on data that hospitals submit to the federal government. No hospital can opt in or out of being rated, and no hospital pays to be rated.

For 28 procedures and treatments, HealthGrades issues star ratings that reflect the mortality and complication rates for each category of care. Hospitals receiving a 5-star rating have mortality or complication rates that are below the national average, to a statistically significant degree. A 3-star rating means the hospital performs as expected. One-star ratings indicate the hospital’s mortality or complication rates in that procedure or treatment are statistically higher than average. Because the risk profiles of patient populations at hospitals are not alike, HealthGrades risk-adjusts the data to allow for apples-to-apples comparisons.

The new 2010 HealthGrades hospital ratings are available at www.healthgrades.com, HealthGrades’ public Web site.