Genesis Heart Program Receives Top Ratings from United Healthcare

When it comes to cost-efficiency and quality of cardiac care, Genesis Medical Center has a lot of star power.

For the second consecutive year, Genesis Medical Center has earned "Three Stars and Higher Efficiency" honors -- the highest quality and cost-efficiency rankings from United Healthcare -- in all three of the cardiac categories it considers.

As a result, Genesis also has been designated as a UnitedHealth Premium® Cardiac Specialty Center.

Genesis is the only regional hospital and the only hospital in both Iowa and Illinois to receive three stars and higher efficiency ratings in all three categories. The top rankings were in cardiac surgery, cardiac care (which includes interventional services and emergency care) and cardiac rhythm management.

"United Healthcare has given us the highest rankings for our full heart service line -- from interventional care, to electrophysiology, to cardiac surgery," says Craig Sommers, executive director of the Genesis Heart Institute. "They ranked us on quality, but also on cost-efficiency, meaning that Genesis provides high-quality care at a lower cost.

"The three-star designations are further validation of the excellent heart care provided by Genesis on a daily basis -- in all areas of cardiac care."

To be considered for the designation, hospitals must complete a survey and submit outcomes data through the American College of Cardiologists and/or the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The United Health Premium® Specialty Centers designation program helps consumers make more informed choices in selecting high-quality cardiac facilities that are more cost-effective. Each specialty area is evaluated and designated separately. In the United Healthcare assessment, Genesis scored 95 points of a possible 100.

More stars for heart surgery

The "Three Stars" recognition is the second this year for the Genesis cardiac surgery team.

This summer, the Genesis Heart Surgery Program was the only one in the region to earn the highest honor for quality from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) -- the world's premier organization of cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers and allied health professionals.

The Genesis Heart Surgery Team, led by board-certified surgeons Nicholas Augelli, M.D., and Robert Fietsam, M.D., earned outcomes that put Genesis in the top 15 percent of participating hospitals in 2007. The STS National Data Registry collects outcomes data for cardiac surgery and is considered the gold standard for measuring cardiac surgery outcomes.

The honor means open-heart surgery patients receive top clinical performance in 17 quality measures from surgeons who live and practice in the Quad Cities. Genesis patients spend less time on a ventilator; less time in the Intensive Care Unit; and, go home one day sooner and experience fewer complications than the national average, data shows.

"The designations from both the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and United Healthcare recognize the comprehensive nature of our cardiac care," Sommers concludes. "It assures our patients that Genesis is the place to go to for quality and cost-effective cardiac care."

To find out more, go to United Healthcare Online, click on "Clinician Resources " and then go to United Health Premium® specialty centers to the cardiac listings.