The Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Herma Heart Center has achieved a 3-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for pediatric congenital heart surgery outcomes. This is similar to the reporting of adult heart surgery programs and follows the same 1-, 2- and 3-star ratings.
In January 2015, STS began public reporting of risk-adjusted pediatric operative mortality for the congenital heart surgery database. Each participating center received one, two or three stars, based on risk-adjusted operative mortality. Programs awarded a 3-star rating were shown to have significantly lower-than-expected mortality rates.
“We achieve superior results for our patients because of our uncompromised clinical, teaching, research and community excellence,” said Dr. Michael Mitchell, the interim medical director of pediatric cardiothoracic surgery at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and a professor in the division of cardiothoracic surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. “Families worldwide trust the Herma Heart Center for compassionate, comprehensive and cutting-edge cardiac care for their children, before birth and into adulthood.”
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin is one of six centers to receive three stars, with a total of 113 pediatric hospitals participating. Children’s is the only pediatric heart program in U.S. News & World Report’s top 10 ranking that chose to enroll in STS Public Reporting Online.
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin’s heart program was also ranked No. 5 among the nation’s best in U.S. News & World Report’s 2014-15 Best Children’s Hospitals report. Parents magazine ranked heart care at Children’s No. 7 in the nation in its 2013 Best Children’s Hospitals survey.
