4 Northwell Hospitals Earn Top Marks For Cardiothoracic Surgery

MANHASSET, NY — Four Northwell Health hospitals with cardiothoracic surgery programs — including one in Manhasset — have been recognized for their quality care by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).

In a report released by STS, Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital, Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, Staten Island University Hospital, and South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore earned the highest possible performance rating — three stars — in several cardiac surgical categories.

"I applaud all our colleagues at North Shore, Lenox Hill, South Shore, and Staten Island for achieving the highest quality ratings by the STS in their respective cardiac surgical categories," said Alan R. Hartman, senior vice president and executive director of cardiovascular and thoracic surgery at Northwell Health. "The superior ratings reflect the expertise and excellent quality cardiac surgical outcomes we provide to patients in the region."

The STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Report analyzed data from participants for five cardiac surgical categories over a three-year period, from July 2018 to June 2021, according to a press release. The ratings were calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures. More than 906 cardiothoracic surgical programs across the U.S. and Canada were analyzed in this report.

Of the four Northwell Health hospitals, Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital in Manhasset achieved three-star overall quality ratings in all five cardiac surgical categories.

"Achieving top performance in every cardiac surgery category, which the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital did, is truly a significant accomplishment," Hartman said. "The data demonstrates we are delivering the superior quality cardiac surgical care to our patients and provides critical information for people in our region to make informed decisions about their health care."

The STS star rating system is one of the most highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, according to a press release. It rates the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery, CABG + AVR surgery, isolated mitral valve replacement/repair (MVRR), and CABG + MVRR surgery.

Lenox Hill, Staten Island, and South Shore earned three-star quality overall ratings for the isolated CABG. Lenox Hill and Staten Island earned a top rating for isolated MV replacement/repair, while South Shore achieved a three-star rating for CABG+AVR.

"I am proud to work alongside our surgeons and entire team whose tireless work and dedication have earned the department another three-star rating," said S. Jacob Scheinerman, chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. "These fantastic results exemplify why patients should be confident that, under our surgeons' care, they will return to their normal lifestyle quickly.