NYS Report Ranks Northwell Health Cardiac Surgery, Cardiology Programs Among New York's Best

Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn (a Northwell affiliate) also achieved significantly better outcomes for PCI, further demonstrating the cardiovascular expertise available throughout Northwell Health.

Based on the DOH's statistical analysis of risk-adjusted outcomes for adult cardiac surgery from 2012-2014, LIJ's cardiothoracic team had the state's best survival rate for patients undergoing surgeries for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the repair or replacement of heart valves, and for those in need of surgeries for both valve and CABG surgery for six consecutive reports. LIJ and Maimonides Medical Center were two of only five hospitals in the state with significantly better outcomes than the statewide average, earning the DOH's prestigious double asterisk for their performance for valve and valve/CABG surgery.

In a separate report on PCI procedures performed in 2014, Southside Hospital and Maimonides Medical Center were two of only five hospitals in the state with significantly better success rates for all types of coronary interventions, with Maimonides also distinguishing itself for its low readmission rates. In an analysis of PCI cases performed from 2012-2014, North Shore University Hospital and Maimonides were two of only four hospitals in the state with superior outcomes for all types of coronary interventions, with Maimonides also earning a double asterisk rating for emergency and non-emergency cases – the only hospital in the state to achieve that distinction.

The DOH report analyzed 58,010 total adult cardiac surgeries, including isolated CABG, valve, and valve/CABG,TAVR, and other cardiac surgeries performed at 41 hospitals from 2012-2014, and 143,535 PCI procedures – also known as angioplasty – at 62 hospitals. Over the three years covered in the report, seven Northwell Health hospitals – NSUH, LIJ, Lenox Hill, Maimonides, Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH), Southside Hospital in Bay Shore and Huntington Hospital – collectively performed 23,515 PCI procedures. During that same period, six Northwell hospitals – Lenox Hill, LIJ, NSUH, Maimonides, Southside and SIUH performed 8,315 total cardiac surgeries.

From an individual standpoint, L. Michael Graver, MD, formerly at LIJ Medical Center and now part of the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at NSUH, was one of six cardiothoracic surgeons statewide who had one of the lowest, statistically significant, risk-adjusted mortality rates among the more than 140 cardiac surgeons evaluated for isolated CABG, valve or valve/CABG surgery from 2012-2014. James Taylor, MD, co-director of the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital who joined Northwell Health in 2015, also distinguished himself during the three-year reporting period, performing 282 isolated CABG surgeries with zero mortality that was statistically significant.

"This is the eighth consecutive reporting period that the combined Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center was recognized by the Department of Health for significantly better outcomes for isolated CABG, valve and valve/CABG surgeries and the sixth straight reporting period in which LIJ had significantly better outcomes in the state," said Alan Hartman, MD, senior vice president and executive director of cardiothoracic services at Northwell Health. "That kind of superior performance is a testament to the extraordinary team of cardiac specialists who are saving lives every day. I also commend the leadership of Dr. S. Jacob Scheinerman, former associate chair of cardiothoracic surgery at LIJ who now leads Lenox Hill Hospital's open-heart surgery program."

Among the more than 450 cardiologists throughout New York State who performed angioplasty procedures during the three years covered in the report, Carl Reimers, MD, of Lenox Hill Hospital, and Sergey Ayzenberg, MD, and Michael Friedman, MD, of Maimonides Medical Center, were among 12 cardiologists who received the DOH's double asterisk for superior outcomes for all angioplasty cases.

Since 2000, the state DOH has released 12 PCI reports. North Shore University Hospital's outcomes have been significantly better than the statewide average eight times for all cases – and 11 times for emergency angioplasty. During that time, the hospital has earned more double-star rankings than any hospital in the state. 

"These outstanding results are due to an unparalleled team effort that continues at the Sandra Atlas Bass Heart Hospital at North Shore University Hospital, its comprehensive approach to all interventional cardiology procedures and an unwavering commitment to the best patient care at every stage in the process," said Barry Kaplan, MD, the heart hospital's co-director, chair of cardiology at NSUH and LIJ, and senior vice president and executive director of Northwell's cardiology service line.

To see copies of the DOH reports, go to:

Adult Cardiac Surgery
https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/diseases/cardiovascular/heart_disease/docs/2012-2014_adult_cardiac_surgery.pdf

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
https://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/diseases/cardiovascular/docs/pci_2012-2014.pdf

About Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York State's largest health care provider and private employer, with 22 hospitals and over 550 outpatient facilities. We care for more than two million people annually in the metro New York area and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Our 62,000 employees – 15,000+ nurses and about 3,900 physicians, including more than 2,800 members of Northwell Health Physician Partners – are working to change health care for the better. We're making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institute. We're training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and the School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. And we offer health insurance through CareConnect. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu.

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