Plainfield's Muhlenberg bests Overlook, Somerset and Mountainside in cardiac intervention

Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center has been rated statistically significantly better for coronary intervention procedures (angioplasty) and outcomes than its fellow 'low volume' hospitals in northern New Jersey, in the process winning the coveted HealthGrades^® 'Specialty Excellence Award' for 2008.

This comes as good news in the politically fraught cardiac care sweepstakes, in which large volume traditional heart care hospitals -- which in the past have relied on very expensive cardiac bypass surgery to bolster their bottom lines -- have launched lobbying and PR campaigns to keep newcomers like Muhlenberg RMC from usurping their 'turf'.

Besides besting competitors Somerset Medical Center, Overlook Hospital (Summit) and Mountainside Hospital (Montclair), Muhlenberg ratings were right up there with St. Barnabas (Livingston), the best of the 'high volume' hospitals.

The ratings are made by HealthGrades^®, the nation's leading healthcare ratings organization, and are based on an analysis of millions of hospital procedures in 28 procedures and treatment areas nationwide.

Hospitals receive a star rating based on outcomes in terms of mortality or complication rates in three measurement periods -- in the hospital, one month following the procedure and six months out.

Hospitals whose outcomes are above average to a statistically significant degree receive a five-star rating, those with average outcomes three stars, and those with below average outcomes a one-star rating.

Muhlenberg scored five-star ratings on the in-hospital and one-month-out categories, and a three-star rating in the six-month-out period, meaning that the hospital performed at significantly above the predicted outcomes.

The full results are available on the public portion of HealthGrades' website here. You will have to assent to the company's 'User Policy' before you can view the data (just click 'YES' and proceed). Once you accept the policy, you can easily navigate around the free portion of the website. Click on the big red plus (+) sign at the left of the hospital name to expand the information for that hospital.

I would have displayed the tables -- but they have some fearsome legalese. You can, however, bookmark the site or download the information to your computer for your personal use.

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Website: "HealthGrades: Guiding America To Better Health Care"

-- Dan Damon

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