Hackensack University and Jersey Shore University Medical Centers Among the Elite Hospitals in North America for Open Heart Surgery

Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center and Hackensack University Medical Center, which are licensed by the New Jersey Department of Health for open heart surgery, have earned distinguished three-star ratings from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for their patient care and exemplary outcomes in adult cardiac surgery.  The academic medical centers received three-star ratings in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and isolated mitral valve replacement and repair (MVRR) surgeries.  Jersey Shore University Medical Center also received a three-star rating in isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery. 

The three-star ratings, which denote the highest category of quality, places them among the elite hospitals for heart bypass, MVRR and AVR surgeries, respectively, in the United States and Canada.  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 U.S. and Canada.  The rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.

Approximately 20 percent of participants receive the three-star rating for isolated CABG surgery.  The latest analysis of data for CABG surgery covers a three-year period, from July  2019 to June 2022, and includes ten participating surgeons, collectively, at the medical centers.  The latest analysis of data for MVRR surgery covers a three-year period, also from July 2019 to June 2022, and includes the ten participants as well.  Historically, an estimated 4 to 8 percent of participants receive a three-star rating for isolated AVR surgery.  The latest analysis of data for AVR surgery covers a 3-year period, from July 2019 to June 2022, and includes five participating surgeons. 

“This is a welcome validation of the exemplary cardiac surgical care provided by our teams at Jersey Shore University and Hackensack University Medical Centers,” said Elizabeth A. Maiorana, MBA, MSN, R.N., CCCC, vice president, Cardiovascular Care Transformation Services, Hackensack Meridian Health.  “The Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ three star ratings are among the most prestigious quality indicators for hospitals providing open heart surgery.” 

“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database participants who have received three-star ratings,” said David M. Shahian, M.D., chair of the Task Force on Quality Measurement. “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 four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS ACSD houses approximately 6.9 million surgical records and gathers information from more than 3,800 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.

Hackensack University Medical Center in 2022 received the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award, for the second consecutive time, from the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation for a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes resulting from evidence-based, guideline-directed degenerative mitral valve repair.

For more information about cardiovascular services, visit www.HMHHasHeart.com.  To schedule a CT Calcium Scoring scan, providing early detection of heart attack risk, or for a free physician referral, call 844-HMH-WELL.

About STS

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 7,600 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.