WVU Heart and Vascular Institute earns highest STS ratings for heart surgery quality

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University Heart and Vascular Institute (HVI) has earned the highest 3-star rating in five domains of adult cardiac surgery from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Adult Cardiac Surgery Database. This achievement validates the Institute’s mission to strive to deliver the most innovative and highest quality cardiovascular care in the United States.

In the just-released STS Harvest Risk-Adjusted Report, the HVI program at WVU Hospitals achieved a 3-star overall rating in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), mitral valve surgery, aortic valve surgery, mitral valve and CABG, and multi-procedure heart surgery. These distinctions reflect sustained performance across coronary, valve, and combined procedures within a national benchmarking framework that is both rigorous and outcomes driven.  

Achieving 3-stars for quality is a bar achieved only by top-tier heart programs and hospitals, and attaining recognition across five areas simultaneously is exceedingly rare. This achievement places HVI among the most elite, national specialized heart programs for volume and quality.  

“The WVU Heart and Vascular Institute is focused on providing access to the highest quality care to all we serve,” Vinay Badhwar, M.D., executive chair of the HVI and chair of the WVU Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, said. 

“When patients require more complex valve procedures or access to advanced techniques such as heart failure, valve, and robotic heart surgery, a comprehensive team approach may be needed. I remain very proud of the multidisciplinary team of experts across the HVI who come together every day to ensure the best possible outcome for our patients.” 

In addition to the HVI program at WVU Hospitals, the HVI open heart programs at three other WVU Medicine hospitals achieved 3-star ratings:

• Thomas Hospitals in Charleston for CABG or bypass surgery
• Camden Clark Medical Center in Parkersburg for CABG 
• Wheeling Hospital for CABG 

“I am also exceedingly proud of our teams at Thomas, Camden Clark, and Wheeling hospitals,” Badhwar said. “They are emblematic of our HVI mission to provide the highest quality care as close to home whenever possible.” 

The STS star rating system is the most respected measure of quality in cardiovascular surgery, incorporating risk-adjusted evaluation of mortality, major morbidity, and adherence to evidence-based processes. As such, these results reflect not just sustained technical excellence but also the robust matrix of multidisciplinary care, coordination, and longitudinal management. 

“Achieving the highest STS ratings across multiple cardiac surgery categories and across our network is a powerful reflection of the expertise that defines the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute,” Albert L. Wright, Jr., president and CEO, WVU Health System, said. “These results place our program among the best in the country and underscore our commitment to delivering world-class cardiovascular care close to home for the communities we serve.” 

For more information about the WVU Heart and Vascular Institute, visit WVUMedicine.org/Heart.