By Sal Christ
Albuquerque's Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center has been named by Truven Health Analytics as one of the top 50 hospitals in the country for cardiovascular outcomes.
According to Rachelle Spencer, administrator of the hospital, the award is the result of a two-year journey, wherein the institution made concerted efforts to improve patient outcomes.
"It's a very prestigious award based on outcomes analyzed by Truven. They’re looking at publicly-reported data, so we had no input in the recognition. It wasn't something we could apply for," said Spencer. "About two years ago, we set our sights on this award and we've actively worked with providers, partners and co-management partners to improve the quality of care. We also made sure that the data reported accurately portray the quality of care we provide here."
Truven's annual quantitative study evaluates hospitals across the country based on a number of metrics-driven benchmarks, including risk-adjusted mortality index, complications rates and more; a number of public data sets are utilized in the study, including the Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MEDPAR) data set, information from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Medicare Cost Report.
Of the 50 hospitals recognized for 2016, the list includes 15 community hospitals, 15 teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residency programs and 20 teaching hospitals without residency programs.
The Heart Hospital, located at 504 Elm St. NE, previously landed on the list in 2000 and is the only New Mexico hospital recognized as part of the 2016 list.
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