St. Joseph’s Hospital was identified as one of the nation’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals® according to an independent quality analysis based on a balanced scorecard provided by Premier, Inc.
The BayCare Heart and Vascular Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital is the only hospital in Tampa to earn this prestigious honor. This is the sixth time the hospital has been recognized.
To create the list, an objective, quantitative analysis of publicly available data was conducted to identify the top cardiovascular hospitals in the United States. The primary purpose of Premier’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals program is to inspire hospital and health system leaders to pursue higher performance and deliver added value to patients and communities. Organizations do not apply to participate in the study, and award winners do not pay to market their honor.
“We are truly honored to be recognized again at St. Joseph’s Hospital for being ranked among the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation. I am proud of the team members and physicians who come to work every day dedicated to providing exceptional care,” said Philip Minden, president of St. Joseph’s Hospital. “This recognition is a testament to their commitment to excellence and compassionate care.”
The BayCare Heart and Vascular Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital is nationally renowned and continues to grow in size and reputation, while providing exceptional patient experiences. Each year, the hospital performs more than 700 heart surgeries, 3,600 cardiac interventional and electrophysiology procedures and 11,500 diagnostic tests.
50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals program performance
Compared to peer hospitals, those in the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals operated at lower cost and had better outcomes, recording significantly higher inpatient survival rates, fewer patients with complications, lower readmission rates and up to nearly $7,000 less in total costs per patient case. Additionally, these hospitals reported:
- 25% fewer acute myocardial infarction (AMI) deaths and 66% fewer coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) deaths.
- 30% fewer percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and 19% fewer CABG patients with complications.
- Higher 30-day survival rates for acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure (HF) and CABG patients (0.4 to 1.2 percentage points higher).
- Lower 30-day readmission rates for AMI, HF and CABG patients (0.2 to 0.5 percentage points lower).
- Shorter average lengths of stay between patient groups – 0.5 for AMI, 0.4 for HF, 0.3 for PCI and one full day for CABG.
- $1,386 to $6,974 less in total costs per patient case (the smallest dollar-amount difference was for HF and the largest was for CABG).
- A better patient experience at top-performing hospitals compared to the remaining peer hospitals, with a top-box Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) score of 72% versus 68%.
These outcomes add up to meaningful differences. According to the study’s analysis, if all hospitals operated at the level of this year’s top performers, there could be 14,000 fewer deaths due to heart disease, 28,600 fewer bypass and angioplasty patients who suffer complications, and more than $1.5 billion in inpatient costs saved for the 2025 study year.
“Heart disease is America’s leading cause of death, affecting roughly 127.9 million Americans and costing about $252 billion,” said David Zito, Premier’s president of Performance Services. “As hospitals and health systems strive for continuous improvement in cardiovascular care, data-driven insights and transformational strategies are vital for ensuring patient-centric care aligned with optimized financial and operational performance. Premier’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals program helps hospitals evaluate national cardiovascular disease trends and develop strategies to deliver targeted, evidence-based care.”
For more information on the Heart and Vascular institute, visit https://baycare.org/hospitals/st-josephs-hospital/services/heart-and-vascular.
— provided by BayCare