PORTLAND, Ore. — Kaiser Permanente Sunnyside Medical Center received the highest rating for adult valve replacement and heart bypass surgeries, according to the latest ratings from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons*. Sunnyside earned the STS’s highest possible rating of three stars for the sixth year in a row, a designation recognizing quality and clinical excellence.
Kaiser Permanente Northwest performs an average of more than 400 heart surgeries and 4,500 procedures in its cardiovascular labs each year, offering a comprehensive program of specialized care for adults with heart diseases.
The prestigious three-star rating is achieved by fewer than 15 percent of hospitals nationwide. The STS National Database, which includes data submitted from more than 600 facilities, is the largest of its kind in North America, with data submitted from more than 95 percent of hospitals in the Unites States that perform heart surgery.
One of the top criteria measured is the percentage of patients who leave the hospital without any of the five most serious complications of heart surgery. Based on data from the STS National Database, about 85 percent of patients at hospitals who received a three-star rating are discharged with no such complications. The rating is also based on mortality rates.
“We founded our heart center in 2009 with the vision of providing the very best quality of care to our patients,” said Yong Shin, MD, chief of Cardiovascular Surgery at Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center. “Now, seven years later, we are proud of this acknowledgment of our cardiovascular team’s humble dedication to excellence and teamwork. We credit our success to a unique approach, where each patient has a full team dedicated to their care — ranging from cardiac and thoracic surgeons, to nursing staff, physical therapists, care coordinators and social workers. We are all aligned and working together as a team to make sure no stone is left unturned and every patient is treated with kindness and compassion as if they were our own family.”
Madeleine Ormond, 64, a nurse from Vancouver, Washington, was looking forward to retirement when she learned she would need an aortic valve replacement because of a leaky valve. She would also need to have an aortic aneurysm repaired. The aneurysm, if not treated, could have eventually ruptured and caused sudden death. “I was a nurse for 40 years, so I have very high standards for my care. I’d say without hesitation that Sunnyside is the best possible place to have open heart surgery,” said Ormond. “The team they assigned me was like a big family, working closely together, and I felt at peace knowing I was in such good hands. There’s so much I still want to do with my life, from traveling to getting back into Zydeco dancing with my husband, and my team put all of their energy into making sure I could get back to enjoying my retirement.”
