St. Luke's Cardiac Care Wins Patient Excellence Award

Cardiac care at St. Luke's Regional Heart Center ranks among the top in the nation, according to patient feedback.

Professional Research Consultants have presented St. Luke's Inpatient Cardiac Services with a Five Star Excellence Award 2013 for the department's overall quality of care.

The honor is awarded to the top 10 percent of organizations nationally for "Excellent" responses based on patient feedback over the prior year. St. Luke's Cardiac Unit was recognized from among 202 inpatient cardiac facilities across the country for the award, which was announced in June.

"The staff has done a lot of great things to really improve the overall quality of care," said Julie Clark, nurse manager for the Cardiac Unit. "It takes a lot for patients to say their experience was 'excellent', so this award is a tribute to the outstanding nursing care that they receive and is a recognition of everyone – nurses, nursing aides, unit secretaries, medical providers and support staff."

The award follows two other recent recognitions given to St. Luke's Regional Heart Center.

The American College of Cardiology announced St. Luke's was a 2012 Platinum Award winnerfor its treatment of heart attack patients.

And St. Luke's was listed in the US News and World Report's 2013 Best Hospitals Guide for its commitment to care of cardiac patients, winning silver awards in two categories – heart failure patient care and STEMI patient care.