Centra, Central Virginia's Medical Leader

Centra Lynchburg General Hospital has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by Thomson Reuters.  For the first time in the study's history, Thomson Reuters has singled out 50 hospitals instead of the traditional practice of naming 100 winners.  This is the sixth time Centra has been rated as one of the nation’s top cardiovascular hospitals.  Only three other hospitals in Virginia received the award this year.

Thomson Reuters examined the performance of 1,022 hospitals by analyzing outcomes for patients who received coronary bypass surgery and coronary interventions, such as angioplasty, as well as patients who received care for heart failure and heart attacks.

“We’ve chosen a more elite group of winners this year. These hospitals have raised the bar significantly,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and 100 Top Hospitals program at Thomson Reuters. “They deliver higher survival rates, shorter hospital stays, fewer readmissions, and lower costs — which adds up to enormous value for the communities they serve. As a result, everyone benefits: patients, families, employers, insurers and the hospital itself.”

The study shows that 96 percent of cardiovascular inpatients survive and approximately 93 percent remain complication-free, indicative of improved cardiovascular care across-the-board over the past decade. The 50 top hospitals’ performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

• Better risk-adjusted survival rates (33 percent fewer deaths than non-winning hospitals for bypass surgery).
• Lower complications indices (21 percent lower for heart failure complications).
• Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital in the 30 days following discharge.
• Shorter hospital visits and lower costs. Top hospitals discharge heart patients a half day sooner and spend $1,300 less per case than non-winners.

“This is a special honor for the Stroobants Heart Center, especially since the list of national winners of the award was cut in half this year,” said George Dawson, Centra president and CEO.  “Our goal is to continue to innovate and provide our patients with the highest level of cardiac care that can be found anywhere in the country.  This ranking from Thomson Reuters validates the efforts that have been ongoing for 25 years.”

This honor comes on the heels of Centra receiving the highest rating for open heart surgery from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).  Centra has received this rating from STS every year since its inception four years ago and is the only hospital in Virginia to earn this rating for each of these years.  David Frantz, M.D., chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery, said, “The key to our success is extraordinary teamwork by all physicians and staff and always placing our patients’ needs first.”

In addition, Centra’s Heart Center is certified by Joint Commission as an acute heart attack center and is accredited as a certified Chest Pain Center.  Thomas Nygaard, MD, medical director of Cardiology, said, “These continued designations should be a reassurance to our patients that they are receiving world class heart care right here in Lynchburg.”