Jacksonville, Fla. — The Cardiovascular Center at Shands Jacksonville was recently named one of the top 100 benchmark cardiovascular hospitals in the nation by Solucient, a national quality benchmark organization. This group leads an annual study identifying hospitals displaying superior performances in the clinical management of cardiovascular disease.
Shands was the only medical center in the north Florida and south Georgia regions to make the list and was also ranked in the top 30 academic cardiac medical centers in the country. “We’re very pleased that an independent agency has acknowledged the good work that we do here,” says Theodore Bass, M.D., University of Florida professor of medicine and medical director of The Cardiovascular Center.
Study findings revealed that the top 100 benchmark cardiovascular hospitals typically have higher procedure volumes than their peers, lower complication rates, higher survival rates, lower costs and shorter hospital stays. The Cardiovascular Center exceeded the median and best quartile of its benchmark group with lower mortality rates for patients with congestive heart failure and those undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, fewer post-operative complications and shorter hospital stays.
Bass notes that UF physicians at The Cardiovascular Center have always been leaders in new technology and pioneering cutting-edge research. Studies are currently taking place in most fields of cardiology. The top-100 heart center has also recently partnered with Cardialysis, the leading European contract research organization (CRO) in the global clinical trial industry. Cardialysis, based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, is an independent CRO specializing in cardiology and has extensive experience in the coordination of clinical research projects, studies of novel drugs and new medical devices.
Cardiac magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging is one of many new technologies available to serve cardiac patients at Shands Jacksonville. Cardiac MRI is used to provide remarkably clear and detailed pictures of the heart more quickly and thoroughly than with other imaging methods, allowing for a precise, noninvasive diagnosis of cardiac disease. “It is a very exciting time in the cardiovascular world. New diagnosis and treatment modalities are constantly being developed and refined,” states Bass. “We are thrilled to be a part of this progress.”