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Good for the HeartBorgess Medical Center Named to Prestigious List for Excellence in Cardiac CareBy Brian Warkoczeski, January 2008
At the heart of Kalamazoo,
Borgess Medical Center (BMC)
is
saving lives and expertly treating cardiovascular
problems. BMC's Cardiovascular Lab is one of the most
experienced in the Midwest. The medical center's doctors have performed
more than 16,500 heart surgeries.
In late 2007, Borgess Medical Center
was named as one of the 100 Top Hospitals for
Cardiovascular Care in the United States
by Thomson Healthcare. It was the fourth time that BMC
earned the recognition.
The recognition came as a result of the 2007
Thomson 100 Top Hospitals Cardiovascular Benchmarks for Success study,
which examined the performance of nearly 1,000 hospitals. The
study analyzed outcomes related to congestive heart failure,
heart attacks, coronary artery bypass grafts, and
percutaneous coronary interventions.
The study's key findings were:
- If all cardiovascular hospitals achieved the
same results as the 100 Top Hospitals,
more than 7,000 lives would have been saved and nearly
750 medical complications would have been avoided annually.
- The top 100 hospitals had costs
that averaged 13%—or about $2,000—less
per case than peer hospitals.
- Compared to their peers, the 100 Top Hospitals performed nearly two-thirds more
coronary artery bypass grafts and percutaneous coronary interventions
such as angioplasty.
The study analyzed acute-care hospitals in the United States using detailed
empirical performance data from publicly available 2005 and 2006 Medicare MedPAR data and 2006 Medicare cost
reports.
Borgess was one of 30 teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residencies
to make the list, and BMC was the only Merit Member named to the prestigious list.
Merit Network provides a dedicated, high-speed connection to the hospital.
In 2007, Borgess Health joined the American Heart Association in an
exclusive groundbreaking three-year partnership to highlight the
association's Start! southwestern Michigan initiative, Go Red For Women
cause initiative, and will be the exclusive sponsor of southwestern
Michigan Goes Red. These initiatives will educate area residents about
heart disease, stroke and ways to lower their risk from these diseases that
account for about 35 percent of all deaths in area counties.
Borgess Medical Center recently received full Cycle II accreditation with
PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Interventions) as a Chest Pain Center from the
Society of Chest Pain Centers. Borgess Medical Center is the only facility
in southwest Michigan to earn that distinction and just the fourth in
Michigan.
Borgess Heart Institute
The medical center's Borgess Heart Institute is an innovative leader in
cardiac care. It includes a large, state-of-the-art cardiovascular
laboratory that was one of the first in the U.S. to provide coronary
angioplasty. All cardiac short stay rooms are private. Three surgical
suites are dedicated to cardiac procedures.
Inpatient care features two
cardiac critical care units and a fully monitored 48-bed care unit. The
Borgess Heart Institute is also home to one of the first freestanding
cardiac rehabilitation facilities in America. Cardiovascular Research,
within the Borgess Research Institute, has helped develop improved coronary
stents that are now used is 80 countries worldwide.
Tim Fischell, MD, Director of Cardiovascular Research for the Borgess Research Institute, has
created scores of heart devices. A new internal monitoring device is being
developed to alert patients and doctors of heart disorders before a heart
attack occurs.
About Borgess Medical CenterBorgess Medical Center (BMC) is a 424-bed teaching hospital linked with the
Michigan State University Kalamazoo Center for Medical Studies. BMC offers
regional specialty treatment of the heart, brain and spine, vascular
disorders and orthopedic care. Borgess Medical Center includes one of the
largest open-heart surgery programs and busiest cardiovascular laboratories
in the Midwest. For the fourth time, Borgess was recently named one of the
nation's 100 Top cardiovascular hospitals by Thomson 100 Top Hospitals®.
BMC is a Level 1 Trauma Center and home to one of the few Neurological
Intensive Care Units in Michigan. Borgess is southwest Michigan's first
certified Primary Stroke Center. More than 100 clinical trials are in
progress through the Borgess Research Institute. Borgess has been a member
of Merit Network since January 2001.
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