Lankenau Medical Center earns prestigious three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons for its cardiac surgery patient care and outcomes
Lankenau Medical Center, part of Main Line Health, has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes for isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery, isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery, and isolated mitral valve replacement and repair (MVRR) surgery. Isolated means the surgery is performed on the patient without any other procedure.
The three-star rating denotes the highest category of quality and highlights Lankenau Medical Center’s continued place among the elite institutions, placing it in the top 2.8% of hospitals for isolated AVR in addition to other high-level rankings. The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the United States and Canada. The rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database surgeon participant.
The latest analysis of STS data covers a three-year period, from January 1, 2020, to December 31, 2022. In addition to its three-star rating for isolated AVR, Lankenau ranked in the top 10% for isolated MVRR and the top 19.4% for isolated CABG.
“We are gratified to retain our high rankings from STS,” said Francis Sutter, DO, chief of cardiac surgery at Lankenau Medical Center. “Our patients deserve the most advanced cardiac therapies to ensure they get back to their families and their lives as soon as possible. These ratings demonstrate that we continue to deliver these surgical procedures at the highest levels. I am grateful to our heart team and hospital leadership for their continued dedication and excellence.”
“I couldn’t be more proud of each and every member of the Lankenau heart team,” said Basel Ramlawi, MD, system chief of cardiac surgery at Main Line Health. “We strive not only to deliver safe, high-quality care but to achieve advances in the field of cardiovascular medicine. Our robotic and hybrid approaches to coronary bypass surgery are unmatched in the region, and we continue to be among the elite in minimally invasive repair of the aortic and mitral valves. My congratulations go out to the entire team and I look forward to continued excellence in the years ahead.”
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons congratulates STS National Database participants who have received three-star ratings,” said David M. Shahian, MD, chair of the Task Force on Quality Measurement. “Participation in the Database and public reporting demonstrates a commitment to quality improvement in health care delivery and helps provide patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about health care.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as a voluntary initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS ACSD houses approximately 6.9 million surgical records and gathers information from more than 3,800 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists from more than 90% of groups that perform heart surgery in the US. STS Public Reporting Online enables STS ACSD participants to voluntarily report to each other and the public their heart surgery scores and star ratings.
About STS
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) is a not-for-profit organization that represents more than 7,300 surgeons, researchers, and allied health care professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
About Lankenau Heart Institute
Lankenau Heart Institute is Main Line Health’s premier comprehensive cardiovascular program, bringing together cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and advanced practice providers across the System’s four acute care hospitals: Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital. Through a coordinated approach, the Institute offers a full continuum of high-quality cardiovascular care — from prevention and diagnostics to clinical trials, advanced treatments and rehabilitation — with a commitment to excellence in outcomes and patient experience.
A nationally recognized leader in innovation and exceptional clinical outcomes, Lankenau Heart Institute is at the forefront of minimally invasive and transcatheter procedures for coronary revascularization, valve repair and replacement, complex aortic surgery and the treatment of advanced heart failure and arrhythmias. Its pioneering work in robotic-assisted and beating-heart techniques and minimally invasive and robotic valve repair continues to shape the future of cardiovascular care. With a robust and influential presence in national clinical trials, its physicians regularly participate in groundbreaking research focused on new therapies, technologies and procedures, primarily through less invasive approaches.
About Main Line Health
Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the greater Philadelphia region. The System comprises five hospitals, seven health centers, more than 160 outpatient and physician practice locations, over 14,500 employees and more than 2,200 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health includes four of the region’s most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, one of the nation’s premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine. The System also includes Mirmont Treatment Center, which provides treatment and support for substance use disorders; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice; Main Line HealthCare, its employed multispecialty physician network; Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a leading biomedical research organization; and Main Line Health Centers offering primary and specialty care, lab, radiology and other outpatient services in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Devon, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square.
Main Line Health brings together physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, researchers and other healthcare professionals across a broad network of inpatient, outpatient, home-based and community-based services. Through this integrated approach, the System delivers high-quality, comprehensive care across the continuum — from primary care and preventive services to complex specialty, surgical, trauma, emergency, rehabilitative, behavioral health, home care and hospice services — with a focus on making care accessible in the communities where people live and work.
Main Line Health also collaborates with leading clinical partners to expand access to specialized care. Through its affiliation with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, pediatric care is provided at select Main Line Health locations, including neonatal intensive care units at its acute care hospitals and Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists also provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care.