U.S. News & World Report 2023-2024 Best Hospitals rankings are out and UConn John Dempsey Hospital is a high performer in both heart attack and stroke care.
The “Best Hospitals: Procedures & Conditions Ratings” rank U.S. hospitals’ performance in benchmark procedures and conditions to provide a decision tool that helps the public identify hospitals that best meet their needs. These ratings are based on each hospital’s patient outcomes as well as other factors that matter to patients, like the quality of their experience. Sources of data include Medicare administrative claims, Medicare Care Compare, the American Hospital Association annual survey, publicly available data from clinical registries, and external designations.
“We are very proud of the excellent and lifesaving heart attack and stroke care our experienced faculty and staff at UConn John Dempsey Hospital provide the citizens of Connecticut each and every day. UConn is always here standing by for you and your family at a moment’s notice in our Emergency Department to care for your urgent cardiovascular event issues,” shares Dr. Bruce T. Liang, UConn Health Interim CEO and cardiovascular physician-scientist at the Pat & Jim Calhoun Cardiology Center.
“Ten years ago when we initiated our stroke care program, we started to do what is possible and currently we do what was once impossible,” says Dr. Sanjay Mittal, medical director of the Stroke Center at UConn Health. “Our Stroke Center offers the latest in stroke care while following the standards of care laid down by American Heart Association. Our goal is to individualize and deliver stroke care in the safest and most timely manner.”
Jennifer Sposito, the UConn Health Stroke Center’s clinical program coordinator agrees. “We are proud to again be recognized for the high-quality care we provide to our vulnerable stroke population,” says Sposito. “Our team’s passion and commitment to clinical excellence is continuously demonstrated. We are so lucky to have such an amazing team.”
UConn’s teaching hospital is well-known for its rapid, lifesaving heart attack and stroke care.
At UConn Health, a team of experts provides fast, efficient care for patients experiencing symptoms of stroke and personalized, ongoing care for patients who have already experienced a stroke or have other risk factors. Patients requiring thrombectomy or any neurosurgical procedure are able to come directly to UConn to be cared for immediately without the need to transfer to a higher level of care. Each year, UConn Health receives the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Gold Plus Award for its high quality care ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment based on nationally recognized, research-based guidelines.
Each year the American Heart Association also recognizes UConn for its heart attack care excellence. For the last nine years it’s been awarded a Mission: Lifeline®-STEMI Receiving Center – Gold award for its rapid, evidence-based care of patients experiencing the dangerous type of heart attack known as an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The award demonstrates UConn’s commitment to treating patients according to the most up-to-date, research-based guidelines for STEMI care as outlined by The American Heart Association.
For example, UConn John Dempsey Hospital staff are on call 24/7 to treat STEMI heart attack patients with lifesaving care at a moment’s notice inside the cardiac catheterization lab at UConn Health’s Calhoun Cardiology Center. The on-call multidisciplinary team includes paramedics, Emergency Department personnel, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory staff, interventional cardiac specialists, physicians, nurses, EMTs, staff, telephone operators, and administrators.
