Riverside Community Hospital 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 Riverside Community Hospital among the elite for heart bypass surgery 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 healthcare, 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.
Photo, L to R: Peggy Schenck, Administrative Director, Cardiovascular Services, RCH, Denise Palmatier, Director, Cardiac Cath Lab, RCH, Vincent Lee, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Neeraj Bansal, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Jenn Paulo, NP, Nicole Barnard, NP, Shankha Biswas, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Nick Johnson, Vice President, Surgical Services, RCH
Approximately 20% of participants receive the three-star rating for isolated CABG surgery. The latest analysis of data for CABG surgery covers a 3-year period, from July 2018 to June 2021, and includes 451 participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database participants who have received three-star ratings,” said David M. Shahian, MD, chair of the Task Force on Quality Measurement. “Participation in the Database and public reporting demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement in healthcare delivery and helps provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about care.”
“This is an achievement beyond Riverside Community Hospital; this is an achievement for our whole community and the entire region,” said Jackie Van Blaricum, Chief Executive Officer at Riverside Community Hospital. “As we continue to expand our services and receive distinct recognitions, like this three-star rating from STS, I hope the Inland Empire sees that we are elevating what it means to be a ‘community’ hospital.”
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.