Holston Valley Medical Center named one of the nation's 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals

Holston Valley Medical Center has been recognized nationally for its excellence in cardiac care. The hospital was recently named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health™

This is the fourth time Holston Valley has been recognized with this honor. Organizations do not apply or pay for this recognition or pay to promote their award for top performance.

The Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study uses 2016 and 2017 Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR) data, 2017 Medicare cost reports (2016 if 2017 reports were not available) and U.S.Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Hospital Compare data published in the second quarter of 2018. Hospitals were scored in key value-based performance areas: risk-adjusted mortality, risk-adjusted complications, percentage of coronary bypass patients with internal mammary artery use, 30-day mortality rates, 30-day readmission rates, severity-adjusted average length of stay, wage- and severity-adjusted average cost per case and, new this year, CMS 30-day episode payment measures.

“I am so proud that Holston Valley was recognized once again for the superior care it provides our community,” said Eric Deaton, senior vice president of market operations for Ballad Health. “Holston Valley has served this region well, and continues to do to, and this honor validates that we are providing world-class cardiac care.”

Holston Valley offers a wide array of highly sophisticated cardiac services and procedures, with robust technology and a large staff of specialized physicians and team members who are well-equipped to care for cardiac patients.

“This recognition speaks to the kind of high-level cardiovascular care available at Holston Valley,” said Dr. Herbert Ladley, chief medical officer of Holston Valley. “The team of cardiologists we have here on staff are the best of the best, and we are honored to be recognized for the quality care we provide to our community.”

Along with the IBM Watson recognition, Holston Valley holds many accolades and recognitions for cardiac care and cardiovascular research, including: 

• Gold-level recognition from the American Heart Association for heart attack treatment (2018)
• Platinum-level recognition from the American College of Cardiology for heart attack treatment quality measures (2018)
• Leader in cardiovascular research and training, with annual visits from Harvard fellows who come to learn the techniques offered by Holston Valley’s prominent cardiologists.

According to IBM Watson, if all cardiovascular providers in the U.S. performed at the level of this year's winners (based on Medicare patients only), results industry-wide could amount to over 10,300 additional lives saved, $1.8 billion saved, and 2,800 additional bypass and angioplasty patients could be complication-free.