Piedmont Atlanta Hospital Ranks in Cardiovascular Care

Piedmont Atlanta Hospital was today named as one of the nation’s top performing hospitals by Fortune and IBM Watson Health. The annual Fortune/IBM 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals study spotlights leading short-term, acute care, non-federal U.S. hospitals that treat a broad spectrum of cardiology patients. The study is designed to identify impartial, actionable, and attainable benchmarks for hospital and clinical leaders as they work to raise their own organizations’ standards of performance in cardiac care.

“At Piedmont we are leading change and the services Piedmont Heart Institute delivers at Piedmont Atlanta Hospital are at the forefront of technology and innovation in the industry,” said Patrick M. Battey, M.D. “Making this list is a testament to the quality of our employees and shows that we are delivering high-quality patient-centered care for our patients.”

This year’s study included 951 U.S. hospitals with cardiovascular service lines. Compared to similar cardiovascular hospitals, this year’s winning hospitals had better results on indicators intended to measure clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, financial performance, and patient experience. Based on the methodology used by Watson Health, the study concludes that if all United States hospitals’ cardiovascular service lines performed at the level of these study winners, some 6,400 additional lives and roughly $1.4 billion could be saved, and 5,000 additional bypass and angioplasty patients could be complication-free.

“Despite the challenges of COVID-19, the hospitals recognized on the Fortune/IBM Watson Health 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals list are providing quality care in one of the most critical areas,” said Ekta Punwani, 100 Top Hospitals Program Leader, IBM Watson Health. “Hospitals are constantly working to improve clinical and operational performance, and the exceptional organizations on this list demonstrate the standard for top performing cardiac care. Their benchmarks serve as a real-world checkpoint for cardiovascular care across the U.S.”

Piedmont Atlanta Hospital has served Atlanta for more than a century. What started in 1905 as a 10-bed sanatorium has grown into a 643-bed facility renowned for its high quality, patient-centered healthcare. Piedmont Atlanta is an acute-care community hospital offering all major medical, surgical and diagnostic services, including 24-hour emergency services, transplantation and comprehensive care. As a not-for-profit organization, hospital earnings maintain and enhance services and facilities and support education, outreach, and research activities. This allows Piedmont Atlanta to offer the most advanced, specialized care possible.

Piedmont Heart Institute ranks in the top 5 percent in the country among cardiovascular organizations and is the only program in Atlanta consistently recognized with the Cardiac Care Excellence Award from Healthgrades – a mark of quality it has earned for more than 10 years. Piedmont is an international leader in cardiovascular research, enabling patient access to innovative therapies not available elsewhere.

The annual report highlights the top-performing cardiovascular hospitals in the U.S. based on a balanced scorecard of publicly available clinical, operational, and patient satisfaction metrics and data.

The winning hospitals were announced in Fortune. For more information, visit https://www.ibm.com/products/50-top-cardiovascular-hospitals.