UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute in Central Pa. Achieves Highest Rating Possible for Cardiac Surgery from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons

April 26, 2023

HARRISBURG, Pa. – UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute in Central Pa. has achieved the distinguished three-star rating, the highest rating possible, from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) in four out of five total categories for patient care and outcomes, including:

• Aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery
• Isolated CABG surgery
• Isolated AVR surgery
• Isolated mitral valve replacement and repair surgery

"This is a huge milestone for UPMC in Central Pa.,” said Hemal Gada, M.D., president of the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute in Central Pa. "This three-star rating places UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute in Central Pa. among the most elite cardiac surgery programs — the top 1% — in the United States and Canada. This reflects not only the outstanding skills of our surgeons and staff, but also the world-class care our cardiac patients receive.”

According to STS data, historically, very few hospitals achieve three-star ratings in four categories. Approximately 4 to 8% of participants receive a three-star rating for AVR+CABG surgery, approximately 20% of hospital participants receive a three-rating for Isolated CABG surgery and approximately 4-7% of hospital participants receive a three-star rating for isolated AVR surgery.

“The fact that the Heart and Vascular team at UPMC in Central Pa. achieved the highest ratings while facing challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic is remarkable," said David Loran M.D., chief of cardiac and vascular surgery, UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute at Central Pa. "This rating demonstrates the commitment this team has in making better outcomes possible for our patients."

The STS is the world’s premier clinical registry for cardiac surgery and contains data from more than 1,000 cardiac surgery institutions that represent approximately six million records. Participation in the STS registry represents UPMC’s commitment to improving the care provided to heart surgery patients.

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 in the United States and Canada. STS’s latest analysis of cardiac surgery data covers three years from January 2020 to December 2022.

"I'm incredibly proud of the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute in Central Pa. for this tremendous accomplishment,” said Lou Baverso, president, UPMC in Central Pa. “Congratulations to the entire team for their dedication to providing outstanding patient care and for delivering excellent quality outcomes every day."

Pioneers in cardiovascular health since 1956, doctors at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute in central Pennsylvania were the first in the region to perform open heart surgery and the first to perform coronary artery balloon angioplasty. Other firsts include the implantation of a drug-eluting coronary stent, percutaneous (minimally invasive) aortic valve procedures (TAVR) and the implantation of an FDA-approved percutaneous mitral valve repair device. UPMC’s vascular surgeons are experts at providing exceptional care through both vascular and endovascular techniques.

Patients receiving care at the facilities across Dauphin, Cumberland, Perry, York, Lancaster, Lebanon, Juniata, Franklin, Adams and parts of Snyder counties will benefit from groundbreaking research and have access to more than 100 clinical trials that are underway at UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute. UPMC experts lead trials as national principal investigators in multi-institutional studies, enabling the team to bring the treatments of tomorrow to UPMC today.

For more information or to schedule an appointment at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute, visit UPMC.com/CentralPaHeart.