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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Scott Samples
Public Information Coordinator
Phone: (772) 223-4920
Cell: (772) 708-3319
Email: ssamples@mmhs-fla.org

Martin Memorial named one of 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in nation for second year

STUART, Fla., Nov. 15, 2011 – The Frances Langford Heart Center at Martin Memorial, which commemorated its fifth anniversary in August 2011, recently received another reason to celebrate.

This week, Martin Memorial Medical Center was named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in an annual study by Thomson Reuters. It was the second consecutive year Martin Memorial has been recognized as a 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals winner and was one of just two hospitals from Florida.

Selected from more than 1,000 hospitals across the United States, winners of this prestigious award provide “top-notch cardiovascular care” according to results from an exhaustive analysis.

Martin Memorial was also named a Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals award winner earlier this year, the sixth time it has earned that honor.

“We are committed to offering the communities we serve the best possible cardiovascular care,” said Mark E. Robitaille, president and chief executive officer of Martin Memorial Health Systems. “We have an incredible team of physicians and clinical staff, who combine skill, professionalism and compassion to provide exceptional cardiovascular care to residents of the Treasure Coast.”

Martin Memorial partners with cardiologists at Cardiology Associates of Stuart, Stuart Cardiology Group and Florida Heart Center, as well as the Ocala Heart Institute for open-heart surgeries. The creation of the heart center was made possible in part thanks to the generosity of the Frances Langford Foundation. The foundation demonstrated its support of the community by providing a leadership gift of $5 million, which assisted the Martin Memorial Foundation in raising more than $18.5 million to fund the cost of developing the heart program.

The Thomson Reuters study shows that 97 percent of cardiovascular inpatients in U.S. hospitals survive and approximately 96 percent remain complication-free, reflecting improved cardiovascular care across-the-board over the past year. The 50 top hospitals’ performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

• Better risk-adjusted survival rates
• Lower complications
• Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital after 30 days
• Shorter hospital visits and lower costs
• Increased use of internal mammary artery (IMA) for coronary artery bypass surgeries

The study evaluated general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals treating a broad spectrum of cardiology patients.

Thomson Reuters researchers analyzed 2009 and 2010 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, Medicare cost reports, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data.

They scored hospitals in key performance areas: risk-adjusted mortality, risk-adjusted complications, core measures (a group of measures that assess process of care), percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, and wage- and severity-adjusted average cost.

About Martin Memorial: Martin Memorial Health Systems is a not-for-profit, community-based health care organization that has served the region for more than 70 years. It offers a continuum of care including preventive, primary and acute hospital care, as well as cancer and cardiac care, wellness and rehabilitation services. Its approximately 2,900 Associates, 375 affiliated physicians and 900 volunteers provide care at 12 different locations serving Martin and St. Lucie counties. Martin Memorial is a six-time winner of the Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals Award, was named a Thomson Reuters 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals award winner in 2010, and received designation as a National Employer of Choice designee for 2009 and 2010-11. To learn more, visit mmhs.com.