CMMC cardiovascular institute makes national Top 50

LEWISTON — Central Maine Medical Center has been named one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBM Watson Health — the only hospital in the state to receive that honor from the health analytics organization.

The Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study, formerly Truven Health Analytics, is in its 20th year and is based on analyses that includes reviews from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Hospitals were scored in key value-based performance areas including mortality, complications and readmission rates. This is the first year CMMC has been recognized, according to a news release from the Lewiston-based health care system.

The Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute, at the main hospital site on High Street, opened in 2003, and offers advanced cardiac and vascular diagnostic and treatment services. It provides specialty care to inpatients at both the institute and hospital, as well as outpatient care both in Lewiston and other locations in central and western Maine.

“This is a welcome recognition of the high quality care provided by Central Maine Medical Center,” said David Tupponce, president of CMMC and executive vice president of Central Maine Healthcare. “Our remarkable surgeons, interventional cardiologists and vascular specialists make a difference in our patients’ lives every day. And this is also another recognition of our commitment to safety and quality.”

According to the release, 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 more than 10,300 additional lives saved, $1.8 billion saved, and 2,800 additional bypass and angioplasty patients could be complication-free.

Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals program leader at IBM Watson Health, said cardiovascular disease is among the most widespread and costliest diseases in the U.S., with an annual price tag of roughly $317 billion. It is estimated that cardiovascular disease accounts for approximately $1 out of every $6 spent on health care in the country.

“That’s why it is so critical that hospitals find new and innovative ways to deliver better care at a lower cost,” Punwani said. “The winning hospitals in our study have established the new benchmark for cardiac care performance by driving consistently better outcomes at a lower cost per case than non-winning hospitals.”

The IBM Watson program uses independent objective research to analyze hospital and health system performance. Organizations do not apply or pay for this honor or pay to promote their award for top performance. Award-winning hospitals and health systems prove that better care is possible and provide an example for other organizations to follow across the industry, the organization said.