Morton Plant Only U.S. Hospital Named to Thomson Reuters Top Heart Care List All 13 Years

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Nov 15, 2011, 03:17 ET

CLEARWATER, Fla., Nov. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Morton Plant Hospital is the only U.S. hospital named in the Thomson Reuters 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study for all 13 years the study has been conducted. The study identifies the top 50 U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services.

"To achieve this data-driven national ranking year after year is a considerable accomplishment," said Mahesh Amin, MD, FACC, cardiologist and Morton Plant Mease cardiology section chairman. "It can be directly attributed to the collaborative culture developed and maintained by our physicians, nurses and hospital staff."

The Thomson Reuters 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals is an annual, quantitative study of more than 1,000 hospitals that identifies the nation's best providers of cardiovascular services.

"Our collaborative culture is completely focused on what is best for our patients," said John Ofenloch, MD, FACS cardiothoracic surgeon and medical director of cardiac surgery for Morton Plant Hospital. "We all work together to bring quality care to our patients."

One example of Morton Plant Hospital's commitment to patient-centered care is its call-back program for heart surgery patients. After patients have gone home, an RN calls patients to help evaluate the progress of their recovery. "Our goal is to help reduce readmissions by checking to see if patients are taking their medications and following other care instructions," said Dr. Ofenloch. "Often, patients have questions that can be answered right on the phone." According to the Thomson Reuters study, Top 50 hospitals maintain lower 30-day readmission rates for heart attack and heart failure patients.

Morton Plant Hospital is also exploring a newly FDA-approved transcatheter aortic valve developed by Edwards Lifesciences for patients considered to be too high-risk for traditional valve replacements.

Only two hospitals in Florida were named to the list. Morton Plant is the only hospital in the Tampa Bay area to be identified as a Thomson Reuters Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital.

Thomson Reuters researchers analyzed 2009 and 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, Medicare cost reports, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data. They scored hospitals in key performance areas: risk-adjusted mortality, risk-adjusted complications, core measures (a group of measures that assess process of care), percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

About Thomson Reuters

Thomson Reuters is the world's leading source of intelligent information for businesses and professionals. We combine industry expertise with innovative technology to deliver critical information to leading decision makers in the financial, legal, tax and accounting, healthcare and science and media markets, powered by the world's most trusted news organization. With headquarters in New York and major operations in London and Eagan, Minnesota, Thomson Reuters employs more than 55,000 people and operates in over 100 countries. For more information, go to www.thomsonreuters.com.

About Morton Plant Hospital

Established in 1916, Morton Plant Hospital is a 687-bed facility. Our commitment to improving the health of everyone we serve is reflected in our community partnerships and many honors. Hospital honors include: Magnet Designation for the second time by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the most prestigious national recognition of excellence in nursing care, "Baby-Friendly" hospital status from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for its efforts to support mothers' decision to breast feed and received Florida Hospitals Association's Innovation of the Year in Patient Care award. Morton Plant Hospital is located at 300 Pinellas Street, Clearwater, Fla. For more information about Morton Plant Hospital, call (727) 953-6877.

About BayCare Health System

BayCare Health System is a leading community-based health system in the Tampa Bay area. Composed of a network of 10 not-for-profit hospitals, outpatient facilities and services such as imaging, lab, behavioral health and home health care, BayCare provides expert medical care throughout a patient's lifetime. With more than 200 access points conveniently located throughout Tampa Bay, BayCare connects patients to a complete range of preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for any health care need.

BayCare's family of hospitals are: Mease Countryside, Mease Dunedin, Morton Plant, Morton Plant North Bay, St. Anthony's, St. Joseph's, St. Joseph's Children's, St. Joseph's Hospital-North, St. Joseph's Women's, and South Florida Baptist. For more information, visit BayCare on the Web at www.BayCare.org.

SOURCE Morton Plant Hospital