Consumer Reports lists St. Cloud Hospital as best in Midwest for heart surgery

In its July 2018 edition, Consumer Reports released its list of top hospitals for heart surgery in the United States. The ratings reflect how well hospitals performed on open heart surgery, including the categories of heart bypass and aortic valve replacement. St. Cloud Hospital earned the rating of “better than expected,” and in doing so became the only hospital in the Midwest to earn top scores in both categories. The Midwest region covers Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Consumer Reports compiled the quality data for heart surgery from nearly 500 hospitals in partnership with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), considered to be the most authoritative source on cardiac surgery. STS collects data directly from hospitals on several key measures, including survival and complication rates.

St. Cloud Hospital has earned a top rating each of the six times Consumer Reports has reviewed heart surgery since 2010. Because of this consistent performance, Consumer Reports has referred to the program in St. Cloud as an “all-star heart surgery group."

“We’re honored Consumer Reports has recognized the quality of our program over the years,” said Phil Martin, director of the CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center at St. Cloud Hospital. “Our physicians and other team members work hard to provide complex, highly specialized heart care for the sickest of patients in the safest and most effective manner.”

Consumer Reports’ Heart Surgery Guide appears in its July issue and online at CR.org.

About the CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center at St. Cloud Hospital

Since 1988, thousands of people in Minnesota have benefited from the heart surgery program at CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center. Our three heart surgeons perform more than 769 heart-related surgeries each year. CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center is a comprehensive heart center dedicated to the prevention, discovery and management of heart disease. It offers a full range of heart services and is one of the few sites in Minnesota with a heart research program.

Learn more about the CentraCare Heart & Vascular Center