Two local hospitals tops in angioplasty

North Shore University Hospital (NSUH) and Long Island Jewish (LIJ) Medical Center received top rankings from the New York State Department of Health (DOH) for its angioplasty success rates and having three of its cardiologists on the list of the top six in the state.
The three-year report released by the DOH examined the outcomes of angioplasties, which is a procedure that clears blocked arteries in the heart and increases blood flow, at 48 hospitals. It also looked at about 350 cardiologists who performed angioplasties. NSUH and LIJ both received &#8220double-star rankings” for their success rates from 2002 to 2004, earning them a place in the top three.
Also, three of its cardiologists received double-star rankings for being cardiologists with the lowest mortality rates among those who do angioplasties. They are Dr. Barry Kaplan, the director of cardiac catheterization at LIJ, Dr. Jason Freeman, a cardiologist at NSUH, and Dr. Ezra Deutsch, a cardiologist at NSUH and Southside Hospital.
&#8220Long Islanders should be thankful to know that of the five hospitals in their region reviewed in the state Health Department's most recent report, three had outcomes that were the best in the state,” said Dennis Dowling, the executive director of NSUH and LIJ. &#8220In this era of public disclosure of clinical outcomes, patients and their families should take the opportunity to avail themselves of this highly useful data compiled by the state.”
Dr. Stanley Katz, the vice president of cardiovascular services for the North Shore-LIJ health system, said, &#8220The DOH report revealed that LIJ and NSUH perform procedures on high-risk patients - and still have the best rates in the state. This type of statistical medical information is important for the public to have access to so that they can make an informed decision about their healthcare provider.”