The Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Hartford Hospital has received the highest possible quality rating in four out of five surgical categories from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS).

The Institute earned a distinguished three-star rating from STS for its patient care and outcomes in aortic valve replacement (AVR),coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), mitral valve replace/repair (MVRR), and combined MVRR and CABG. The Institute received two stars in the remaining category of combined AVR and CABG.

The Heart & Vascular Institute at Hartford Hospital is the only center in Connecticut to receive four, three-star ratings from the STS in these categories.

“We are honored to receive these ratings from the STS,” said Dr. Sabet Hashim, Chairman of Cardiac Surgery and Co-Physician in Chief of the Heart & Vascular Institute. “This national recognition is the result of the superb skills of our surgeons and the impeccable care of our entire cardiovascular team which includes cardiologists, cardiac anesthesiologists, advanced practitioners, perfusionists, and nurses. This honor is a testament to the high level of safety and excellence in performance for the entire Hartford HealthCare system, and a validation of the exceptional work done by its administration.”

The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in 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.

“This recognition from STS — particularly for these more complex procedures — reflects our team’s deep commitment to providing exceptional surgical care to our patients and further establishes the Heart & Vascular Institute as a top center for cardiac surgery nationally,” said Wheatley Wentzell, Senior Vice President, Operations, of Heart & Vascular Institute.

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