Halifax Health Medical Center of Daytona Beach has been named one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the United States by IBM Watson Health™.

The 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list is an annual study published by IBM Watson Health that identifies the best U.S. hospitals for inpatient cardiovascular services based on a balanced national scorecard of hospital performance metrics.  Formerly known as the Truven Health Analytics® 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study, this study has been conducted since 1998.  Halifax Health is just one of three hospitals in Florida recognized by the study and is grouped in the category, “teaching hospitals without cardiovascular residency programs.” 

“This is a tremendous honor for Halifax Health.  Our collaboration with University of Florida Health for heart and vascular surgery services has helped to transform and advance heart and vascular care in East Central Florida.  Our partnership has been a win for both institutions as well as our community” says Matt Petkus, vice president of operations for Halifax Health. 

This year’s study included 989 U.S. hospitals with cardiovascular service lines.  Based on comparisons between the study winners and a peer group of similar hospitals in the study, the winners delivered better outcomes while operating more efficiently and at a lower cost.  Extrapolating the results of this year’s study, if all Medicare inpatients received the same level of care as those treated in the award-winning facilities:

• More than 11,000 additional lives could be saved;
• More than 2,800 additional heart patients could be complication-free; and
• Over $1.5 billon could be saved.

Key performance benchmarks set by this year’s Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals include:

• Significantly Higher Inpatient Survival:  Winning hospitals had significantly higher inpatient survival rates (28.7% to 47.4% higher).
• Fewer Complications: The 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals achieved 6.3 to 27.7 percent fewer patients with complications.
• Lower Cost: $1,485 to $6,704 less in total costs per patient case (the smallest difference was for heart failure and the largest was for coronary artery bypass graft surgery).
• Lower Average 30-day Episode of Care Payments for Acute Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure ($1,323 and $706 less per episode, respectively).

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women and numerous health disparities exist in heart health.  When patients and families confront this disease, it is essential to find the right system and provider for you or your loved ones to ensure the best cardiovascular care.  Our data-driven study highlights top hospitals that have achieved an outstanding balance of clinical and operational excellence in a complex healthcare landscape.  In addition to showcasing the best in heart health, we believe that our study provides attainable and actionable benchmarks for hospital leaders across the country, as they work to raise their own organizations’ standards of performance,” explains Kyu Rhee, M.D., M.P.P., vice president and chief health officer at IBM Watson Health.  

Since the 2015 launch of UF Health Heart and Vascular Surgery at Halifax Health, the program has been named among the top 10 percent of heart programs in the nation, having been awarded the highest three-star rating by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.  The program has also achieved accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission in Vascular Testing in the area of Peripheral Arterial Testing.