Mount Sinai’s Cardiac Catheterization Labs Given Highest Safety Ratings in New York State
Mount Sinai cardiologist also ranked No. 1 for safety in percutaneous coronary interventions
Two cardiac catheterization laboratories in the Mount Sinai Health System have received the highest “two star” safety ratings from the New York State Department of Health for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The awards to the labs at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Beth Israel marked the 22nd consecutive year that a Mount Sinai catheterization laboratory or its physicians have been awarded the prestigious designation for PCI safety rates that significantly exceed the statewide average.
PCI, also known as angioplasty, is a minimally invasive procedure performed inside a catheterization laboratory. It is used to diagnose and treat patients with heart disease or blocked heart arteries. A thin catheter is threaded through the body, typically from an artery in the arm, to a blocked vessel in the heart. A diagnosed blockage can be removed, often with a stent that is inserted to restore blood flow within the vessel. Patients treated in the cardiac catheterization laboratory can range from non-emergency cases who are experiencing early heart disease symptoms, to emergency cases who are having a myocardial infarction, or heart attack.
The new data released by the Department of Health reports on the outcomes of patients who were discharged from all 65 statewide cardiac catheterization labs from December 1, 2014, to November 30, 2017. The “Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI) in New York State 2015-2017” report tracked PCI data in overall, non-emergency, and emergency cases, along with individual physicians.
In the report, Pedro R. Moreno, MD, Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of Quality Assurance at Mount Sinai Heart, ranked first in safety for all cases combined, meaning that Dr. Moreno had the lowest mortality rates of all interventional cardiologists in New York. Dr. Moreno performed 763 PCI procedures at The Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai Morningside during this three-year period and achieved a risk-adjusted mortality rate of 0.17 percent, which is 10 times better than the state average of 1.17 percent. Dr. Moreno also received the “two-star” safety rating for the non-emergency PCI category with a risk-adjusted mortality rate of 0.12 percent, compared to the state average of 0.79 percent.
“This achievement is the result of years of intensive work devoted to create a superb and safe environment for PCI, where patients thrive with excellent outcomes,” says Dr. Moreno. “Excellence in interventional cardiology is the rule at Mount Sinai Heart’s catheterization laboratories. The leadership, attending physicians, nurses, and cardiology fellows are focused on quality care and patient protection. We create and constantly update strict, comprehensive, system-wide protocols orchestrated to achieve the best outcome for our patients. Furthermore, the hospital leadership has implemented a firm quality assurance program to guarantee absolute transparency and constant improvement in our care.”
During the three-year period, the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Mount Sinai Heart at Mount Sinai Beth Israel (MSBI) was ranked best in the state for achieving higher safety and survival rates than the statewide average for non-emergency PCI cases. It was also one of three hospitals in the state to receive the “two star” safety rating for PCI in the non-emergency category. MSBI’S risk-adjusted mortality rate for all non-emergency cases (0.36 percent) was significantly lower than the statewide average (0.79 percent).
“This recognition highlights our strength, which has always been the staff, starting with a small and close-knit group of interventional attending physicians who work together sharing ideas, skill sets, and commitment to delivering high-quality and appropriate care. Our nurses and techs create the backbone of assuring this exemplary care is delivered to each heart patient for best possible outcomes,” says John Fox, MD, Director of the MSBI Cardiac Catheterization Lab. “Our lab comprises a group of people that form a working family, fostering one of the best environments for teaching fellows and safely helping people with complex medical problems.”
Additionally, the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory of Mount Sinai Heart at The Mount Sinai Hospital was awarded the “two star” safety rating for low hospital readmissions following PCI in 2017. This award measures the number of patients who don’t return to the hospital within 30 days after emergency and non-emergency cases. The Mount Sinai Hospital’s “Risk-Adjusted Readmission Rate” is among the lowest in the state (6.46 percent of patients), and significantly lower than New York’s average of 8.95 percent. The Mount Sinai Hospital had the highest volume of PCI cases for this three-year period and its catheterization lab was one of six to receive this prestigious ranking for low readmissions.
“This is a great achievement for The Mount Sinai Hospital’s Cardiac Catherization Laboratory and our interventional cardiac patients. This new safety rating for significantly low readmission rates should reassure our interventional patients, given that repeat hospital admission could be injurious to health and takes a toll on people’s daily lives,” said Annapoorna Kini, MD, Director of the Cardiac Catherization Lab at The Mount Sinai Hospital.
“These new rankings uphold the fact that Mount Sinai Health System’s Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories have been treating our interventional patients with utmost care and success. This results in good outcomes, including significant low mortality and 30-day readmission rates and our patients can be reassured that they are getting the safest and best possible care,” says Samin Sharma, MD, Director of Interventional Cardiology for the Mount Sinai Health System.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 600 research and clinical labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time—discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians and 11 free-standing joint-venture centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida. Hospitals within the System are consistently ranked by Newsweek’s® “The World’s Best Smart Hospitals, Best in State Hospitals, World Best Hospitals and Best Specialty Hospitals” and by U.S. News & World Report's® “Best Hospitals” and “Best Children’s Hospitals.” The Mount Sinai Hospital is on the U.S. News & World Report® “Best Hospitals” Honor Roll for 2024-2025.
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