Texas Heart^®Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital
Again Ranked Among Nation's Top 10 in Cardiology and Heart Surgery

The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital has been named among the nation's top ten centers in cardiology and heart surgery in U.S. News & World Report's annual survey of  "America's Best Hospitals" for the ninth consecutive year. Of more than 6,000 hospitals in the nation, only 188 were ranked.

"It is a pleasure to be recognized so consistently as a top cardiovascular facility," said Denton A. Cooley, MD, founder, president and surgeon-in-chief of the Texas Heart Institute. "This repeated acknowledgement is a testimony to the remarkable efforts of our cardiovascular physicians as well as the ongoing collaboration between our clinical partner, St. Luke's, and our institution. As our facilities grow in the upcoming years, we plan to prolong and expand the high-quality research and education programs that enable us to further combat the devastating effects of cardiovascular disease."
 
"St. Luke's and the Texas Heart Institute are delighted that we have once again been honored with this distinguished recognition," said Michael K. Jhin, president and CEO of St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital. "It is a tribute to the outstanding group of physicians and staff who make possible the excellence of care which has become the trademark known to our patients world-wide. We are particularly proud that for nine consecutive years we have been ranked the top cardiovascular center in the Southwest."

The annual rankings are designed to assist people in seeking the highest level of skills in diagnosing, treating or managing difficult medical conditions. "America's Best Hospitals" is the only effort to compare all hospitals in the United States fairly and objectively.
 
The hospitals were evaluated using a model developed in 1993 by Craig Hill of the National Opinion Research Center (NORC), a social science research group at the University of Chicago. To be eligible for ranking, a hospital had to meet at least one of three requirements: affiliation with a medical school, membership in the Council of Teaching Hospitals or having a minimum of nine out of 17 key technologies available. Other criteria are surgical volume, ratio of registered nurses to beds and number of medical and surgical discharges.

The 1999 top-ranked centers in cardiology and heart surgery, appearing in the July 19 issue are as follows: 1) Cleveland Clinic 2) Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 3) Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 4) Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston 5) Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. 6) Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore 7) Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital 8) Emory University Hospital, Atlanta 9) Stanford University Hospital, Stanford, CA 10) Barnes-Jewish Hospital, St. Louis

The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital was founded in 1962 for the study and treatment of diseases of the heart and blood vessels. Together, with its clinical partner St. Luke's, it has become the largest cardiovascular center in the world, evidenced by more than 97,000 open-heart operations, 178,000 diagnostic cardiac catheterization procedures, and more than 750 heart transplants—experience no other facility can match.  The Institute also been the scene of major advances in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, including the first successful heart transplant in the United States, the first implantation of an artificial heart in man, and the use of mechanical devices as bridges to transplant.

The Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital is also a leader in interventional cardiology. Several of the major trials that led to the approval of the first generation of stents were performed at the Institute. Basic research and clinical applications have also led to innovative and effective methods of preventing and treating heart disease.

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital was founded in 1954 by the Episcopal Church. A nonprofit, multi-specialty, teaching hospital, St. Luke's is home to the world-renowned Texas Heart Institute.  St. Luke's offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient services as well as community outreach programs, and is affiliated with leading physicians and managed care plans throughout the Houston area.

For information about cardiovascular disease and its prevention, please contact the Texas Heart Institute's Heart Information Service, 1-800-292-2221, or http://www.texasheartinstitute.org .

The U. S. News & World Report America's Best Hospital's Survey results are located at:

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/nycu/health/hosptl/tophosp.htm#U S News Best Hospitals Survey