Cape Cod Hospital Ranks Tops Again In National PCI Mortality Report

Ranks first among 771 hospitals nationwide

Friday, September 26, 2008 - (Hyannis, September 25, 2008) Cape Cod Healthcare is pleased to announce that Cape Cod Hospital ranks first among 771 hospitals nationwide in terms of risk-adjusted mortality for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures, according to a recent database report issued by the American College of Cardiology CC).

Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (previously called Angioplasty, Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty, or Balloon Angioplasty) encompass a variety of procedures used to treat patients with diseased heart arteries that can result in reduced blood flow, or a heart attack caused by plaque that completely blocks the artery.

“This report again confirms Cape Cod Hospital as a first-rate center for cardiac care in line with the best hospitals in the country,” said Richard Zelman, M.D., F.A.C.C., Director of Interventional Cardiology at Cape Cod Healthcare. “To be ranked at the top of this category validates once again the superior cardiac care our patients receive at Cape Cod Hospital.”

The ACC releases its national report on a quarterly basis, using a rolling year as its reporting model. The latest report includes data from April 1, 2007 through March 31, 2008. During that time period, there was one mortality among 628 PCI cases at Cape Cod Hospital.

The ACC report comes out one year after the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services named Cape Cod Hospital the only hospital in Massachusetts and one of only 17 hospitals nationwide with outcomes better than national averages for 30-day heart attack mortality rates. Combined, the two reports corroborate that Cape Cod Hospital’s cardiac care program has been and remains among the nation’s best.

“On Cape Cod, there is a high incidence of heart disease due to the older population of the area,” said Richard F. Salluzzo, M.D., President and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare. “We know that cardiac services are critically important for the population here. This report substantiates that we have world-class cardiologists and other cardiac care professionals, along with advanced technological capabilities and a comprehensive care program. We are very proud to have earned this recognition.”

Eleven years ago, in 1997, Cape Cod Hospital became the first community hospital in Massachusetts approved to perform emergency angioplasty. Cape Cod Hospital in 2002 became one of only three community hospitals in Massachusetts approved for cardiac surgery. In 2003, the hospital received its license to perform elective angioplasty procedures. Building a complete cardiac care program included establishing a reputation as an outstanding cardiac care facility. As such, significant investments in personnel, equipment, and building renovations have allowed Cape Cod Hospital to surpass all initial goals and anticipate future needs in terms of caring for cardiac patients.

“This means patients can continue to feel confident receiving cardiac services on the Cape, rather than in a major city,” said Michael Lauf, Chief Operating Officer, Cape Cod Healthcare. “They know that the care they will receive here is unparalleled.”