Atrium Health Navicent Recognized for Lifesaving Procedure for Patients with Coronary Heart Disease
Residents of central and south Georgia living with coronary artery disease can rest easy knowing world-class care is available close to home at Atrium Health Navicent. In fact, Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures.
The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places Atrium Health Navicent’s open heart surgery program amongst the top 15 percent of programs in the U.S. that submit data to the STS. Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Coronary heart disease, also called coronary artery disease, is a type of heart disease where the arteries of the heart cannot deliver enough oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20.5 million U.S. adults have coronary artery disease, making it the most common type of heart disease in the United States. CABG surgery creates a new path for blood to flow around a blocked or partially blocked artery in the heart. The surgery involves taking a healthy blood vessel from the chest, leg or arm area and connecting it below the blocked heart artery. The new pathway improves blood flow to the heart muscle.
“Atrium Health Navicent is committed to providing advanced cardiac services, including state-of-the-art procedures such as CABG, valvular repair and replacement, electrophysiology and advanced heart failure care,” said Atrium Health Navicent Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Sanford G. Duke.
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs across the United States and Canada.
The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant. More than 95 percent of hospitals in the U.S. that perform open heart surgery are included in the database.
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Adult Cardiac Surgery Database houses approximately 6.9 million surgical records and gathers information from more than 3,800 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists.
Atrium Health Navicent is committed to excellence in heart and vascular care. Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center is one of only four hospitals in the nation — and the only one in Georgia — to receive the triple crown of heart accreditations by the American College of Cardiology. These designations include Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation, Heart Failure Accreditation and Atrial Fibrillation with EPS Accreditation.
Atrium Health Navicent The Medical Center also was one of the first in the region to implement the use of the Watchman device for people with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). The Watchman procedure is one of several ways patients can get specialized care at the Structural Heart and Valve Clinic at Atrium Health Navicent, one of only two such clinics south of Atlanta, and the only one in our region to offer Transaortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).
To find a doctor, visit www.NavicentHealth.org and click “Find A Doctor.”
About Atrium Health Navicent
Atrium Health Navicent is the leading provider of health care in central and south Georgia and is committed to its mission of elevating health and wellbeing through compassionate care. Atrium Health Navicent is part of Advocate Health, which is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the United States, created from the combination of Atrium Health and Advocate Aurora Health. Atrium Health Navicent provides high-quality, personalized care in 53 specialties at more than 50 facilities throughout the region. As part of the largest, integrated, nonprofit health system in the Southeast, it is also able to tap into some of the nation’s leading medical experts and specialists with Atrium Health, allowing it to provide the best care close to home – including advanced innovations in virtual medicine and care. Throughout its 125-year history in the community, Atrium Health Navicent has remained dedicated to enhancing health and wellness for individuals throughout the region through nationally recognized quality care, community health initiatives and collaborative partnerships. It is also one of the leading teaching hospitals in the region, helping to ensure viability for rural health care for the next generation. For more information, please visit www.NavicentHealth.org.
About Advocate Health
Advocate Health is the third-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the United States – created from the combination of Advocate Aurora Health and Atrium Health. Providing care under the names Advocate Health Care in Illinois, Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama, and Aurora Health Care in Wisconsin, Advocate Health is a national leader in clinical innovation, health outcomes, consumer experience and value-based care, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as the academic core of the enterprise. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Advocate Health serves nearly 6 million patients and is engaged in hundreds of clinical trials and research studies. It is nationally recognized for its expertise in cardiology, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, as well as organ transplants, burn treatments and specialized musculoskeletal programs. Advocate Health employs nearly 155,000 team members across 68 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations and offers one of the nation’s largest graduate medical education programs with over 2,000 residents and fellows across more than 200 programs. Committed to equitable care for all, Advocate Health provides nearly $6 billion in annual community benefits.