ARTICLE
(Hyannis, June 18, 2018) Cape Cod Hospital led the state with the lowest 30-day unplanned readmission rate for Medicare inpatients with stent procedures, according to a study done by one of the nation’s largest providers of impartial claims analysis. Cape Cod Hospital had a readmissions rate for stent patients of just 11.2 percent, according to a study conducted by Dexur using Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) between 2013 and 2016. The next lowest unplanned readmission rate, at North Shore Medical Center Salem Hospital, was almost 15 relative percentage points higher. CCH was one of just six hospitals in the state to have a 30-day unplanned readmission rate below both state and national rates. “We are extremely proud of our Interventional Cardiology program, and its excellent track record of caring for patients here on Cape Cod,” said Cape Cod Healthcare President and CEO Michael Lauf. “The Dexur study demonstrates the effectiveness of our interventional cardiology program at Cape Cod Hospital and should reassure residents and visitors, alike, that should they need elective or emergency cardiac treatment, they will receive the best care in the state right here in the community.” Hospitals in the state with at least 50 Medicare inpatient discharges and 11 readmissions at the “diagnosis related group (DRG)” level between January 2013 and December 2016 were included in the Dexur analysis. The specific DRG studied was percutaneous cardiovascular procedures with drug-eluting stents with major complications, which is one of the four stent procedure DRGs recognized by CMS. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), formerly known as angioplasty with stent, is a non-surgical procedure that uses a thin, flexible tube called a catheter through which a stent is inserted to open up blood vessels in the heart that have been narrowed by plaque buildup. “The caliber of our Cardiac Services program at Cape Cod Hospital has reached a level where we have an exceptional team of highly skilled and trained physicians, nurses, technologists and support staff that is capable of performing the most complex and innovative cardiac procedures in order to help save and improve lives here on Cape Cod,” said Richard Zelman, MD, FACC, chief of inpatient cardiology at Cape Cod Healthcare, the parent company of Cape Cod Hospital. “Our excellent outcomes should give comfort to every resident and visitor on Cape Cod that they do not have to travel far to receive the best cardiac care.” The Dexur analysis also revealed that Cape Cod Hospital’s length of stay for PCI procedures was also low, ranking fifth in the state. “Their low unplanned readmission rate suggests that during the index hospital stay, patients are effectively treated so that further issues do not present during the 30-day recovery period,” Dexur said in a press release about the study. Cape Cod Healthcare is the leading provider of healthcare services for residents and visitors of Cape Cod. With more than 450 physicians, 5,300 employees and 790 volunteers, Cape Cod Healthcare has two acute care hospitals, the Cape’s leading provider of homecare and hospice services (VNA), a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility, an assisted living facility, and numerous health programs. For more information, visit Cape Cod Healthcare’s web site at www.capecodhealth.org. Cape Cod Healthcare. Visit our health news site www.capecodhealthnews.com for the latest in relevant and credible healthcare news.