The primary purpose of the Top 50 award is to inspire a consistent and continued commitment to producing high patient outcomes in the delivery of cardiovascular care.
Charleston, SC – Trident Medical Center has been named as one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals according to an independent quality analysis based on a balanced scorecard provided by PINC AITM, the technology and services brand of Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC), and reported by Fortune.
To create the list, an objective, quantitative analysis of publicly available data was conducted to identify the top cardiovascular hospitals in the United States. The primary purpose of the PINC AI™ 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ program is to inspire hospital and health system leaders to pursue higher performance and deliver added value to patients and communities. Organizations do not apply to participate in the study, and award winners do not pay to market their honor.
Trident Medical Center interventional cardiologist Patrick Looser, MD, says, “This recognition is a testament to the commitment by every member of our cardiovascular teams to provide excellent, compassionate, and evidence-based care for our patients. Despite the high prevalence of advanced cardiovascular disease in our patient population, we consistently produce positive outcomes. It’s an honor and privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals.” Dr. Looser is board-certified in cardiovascular disease, interventional cardiology and nuclear cardiology.
In addition to the Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals recognition, Trident Medical Center also earned a third consecutive America’s 250 Best Hospitals award from Healthgrades and a second consecutive “A” grade from Leapfrog for patient safety within the last year.
Michael Craig, MD, an advanced heart failure specialist who leads Trident Medical Center’s Heart Failure Clinic said, “The physicians who are a part of Trident’s cardiovascular team know and respect each other. And, we work very well together. It’s a group of talented physicians who know how to treat very complex cardiovascular disease and a group of nurses and other clinicians who provide excellent care after a surgery or other heart procedure.”
According to performance data from PINC AITM, the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals had:
- 28 percent fewer acute myocardial infarction (AMI) deaths and 50 percent fewer coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) deaths.
- 32 percent fewer percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and 38 percent fewer CABG patients with complications. Higher 30-day survival rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF) and CABG patients (0.3 to 0.7 percentage points higher).
- Higher 30-day survival rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF) and CABG patients (0.3 to 0.7 percentage points higher).
- Lower 30-day readmission rates for AMI, HF and CABG patients (0.4 to 0.8 percentage points lower).
- Shorter average lengths of stay between patient groups – 0.3 for AMI, 0.6 for HF, 0.3 for PCI and one full day for CABG.
- $2,503 to $9,931 less in total costs per patient case (the smallest dollar-amount difference was for HF and the largest was for CABG).
- Patients had a better experience at top performing hospitals compared to the remaining peer hospitals, with a top-box Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) score of 71 percent versus 67 percent.
Cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon James Benner, MD, has performed heart surgery at Trident Medical Center for nearly 30 years. About the national Top 50 ranking, he says, “It’s the commitment of all the staff. We have a great group of doctors that work well together. And, the staff are dedicated. They put in long hours and get great results. Everything I and my team do doing surgery is important for the patient, but the care the critical care nurses and others who are with our patients during their recovery are equally important. That’s why our patient’s do so well.”
Interventional cardiologist Frederick Funke, MD says the relationship of trust and respect among the physicians and their patients has developed over the years, “The dedication of the doctors, the nurses, and the relationship we’ve built with our patients in the community leads to outstanding outcomes for everyone involved. And, that’s the promise we make to our community here now and in the future.”
Electrophysiologist Darren Sidney, MD said, “The nurse practitioners, nurse navigators and other clinicians on Trident Medical Center’s heart team all have a ‘patient first’ mindset and it shows in the recognition we’ve received.”
Compared to peer hospitals, those in the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ operated at lower cost and had better outcomes, recording significantly higher inpatient survival rates, fewer patients with complications, lower readmission rates and up to nearly $10,000 less in total costs per patient case.
These outcomes add up to meaningful differences. According to the study’s analysis, if all hospitals operated at the level of this year’s top performers, there could be 7,600 fewer deaths due to heart disease, 6,700 fewer bypass and angioplasty patients who suffer complications, and more than $1 billion in inpatient costs could have been saved for the 2024 study year.
“Hospital and health system leaders are focused on raising the quality and value of cardiovascular care,” said Leigh Anderson, Premier’s Chief Operating Officer and the leader of PINC AI™. “A selection as one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ is a great honor and demonstrates the importance of hospitals tackling cardiovascular disease – one of America’s leading causes of death. As one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals™ Trident Medical Center has achieved high-quality cardiovascular care that has directly led to significantly improved patient outcomes, with fewer readmissions and complications.”
Being ranked among the nation's Top 50 cardiovascular hospitals is especially rewarding considering cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in South Carolina.
Members of Trident Medical Center's executive team and physicians and clinicians from the hospital's heart team celebrated the Top 50 award.