New Jersey's annual report on cardiac hospital performance is out: Englewood Hospital and Medical Center is at the top for bypass surgery for the fourth year in a row - the report is based on surgeries occurring in 2007. In contrast, St. Mary's Hospital in Passaic had the worst mortality rate among the 18 hospitals that perform bypass surgery in the state.
Englewood's chief of its cardiac surgery program, James J. Klein, M.D., said that the hospital's protocol calls for avoiding blood transfusions whenever possible. This reduces occurrences of an inflammatory response and infection. He also cited the cohesiveness and collaborative process among physicians, nurses and assistants who care for patients as major factors in their success. Dr. Klein performed over 100 bypass surgeries in 2006-2007.
In addition to St. Mary's, other New Jersey hospitals with statistically higher risk-adjusted mortality rates than the statewide rate were Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center and Deborah Heart and Lung Center. Risk-adjusted mortality rate means reviewers assign more credit to hospitals and surgeons with sicker patient populations so as to avoid giving facilities and physicians with healthier populations an unfair advantage during performance reviews.
The old adage, "practice makes perfect" rings true in this case. In general, the more often hospitals perform bypass surgeries, the lower their patient mortality rates, and this is true for New Jersey surgery centers as well. Similarly, data also indicates that hospitals where surgeons perform greater numbers of bypass surgeries experience lower mortality rates. A detailed study of the data also indicates "outliers," that is, surgeons and hospitals performing relatively low numbers of cardiac bypasses, but which still maintain low mortality rates.
What Should Low Performing Cardiac Hospitals Do to Improve?
Based upon that explanation for Englewood Hospital's consistent record of success, other hospitals should follow its example. Skilled surgeons need a trained and cohesive team that consistently works together and follows detailed procedures for preoperative and post-procedure patient care. Quality assurance programs are essential in identifying and addressing patient concerns and other issues.
Hospitals staffs that fail to follow certain procedures or fail to institute policies that reduce patient mortality rates may find themselves liable for malpractice. If any patient dies as a result of such circumstances, an experienced medical malpractice attorney can investigate and ascertain if the proper standard of care in a particular case has been met. Medical errors in hospitals that show a pattern of medical mistakes or higher mortality rates in a certain type of treatment might bring an entire medical department under review.
Medical malpractice issues can be complex. If you believe you have been the victim of a medical error, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney for help.
