The Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute is pleased to announce that Hartford Hospital has received the highest possible composite quality rating in four procedure categories from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).

Hartford Hospital has earned the highest three-star rating from the STS for mitral valve repair/replacement (MVRR), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), combined MVRR and CABG, and combined aortic valve replacement and CABG. The award from the STS is reported twice a year, in June and December.

The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded measures of quality in healthcare, rating the outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the United States and Canada. The star rating is calculated using combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS database participant. Historically, about five to ten percent of participants receive the highest three star rating for any category. To receive a three star rating in four out of the five reported categories, places Hartford Hospital in the top one percent of all rated programs. This is the seventh consecutive time that Hartford Hospital achieved this distinction.

Hartford Hospital performs the most cardiac surgery cases in the state of Connecticut. For this STS report, it is the only institution to receive a three-star rating in any category. Dr. Sabet Hashim, the Surgeon in Chief of the Heart & Vascular Institute says, “This is a huge accomplishment. The consistency of the results reflects not only the outstanding skills of our surgeons, but also the superb pre and post-operative care our cardiac patients receive at Hartford Hospital.”

“We are very pleased to be recognized by STS. This rating in these complex surgical procedures shows that Hartford Hospital is among the elite surgical programs in the country and truly demonstrates the fierce focus our team has on providing the safest and highest quality care to our patients,” said Bimal Patel, Hartford HealthCare Hartford Region President and Senior Vice President, Hartford HealthCare.

Hartford Hospital has also been designated a Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center since the inception of the award in 2020, by the American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation. Dr. Hashim says, “Hartford Hospital is a premier destination for cardiac surgery, especially for those patients with complex cardiac conditions.”

The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 7,600 surgeons, researchers, and allied health care professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.