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Jackson Heart Institute earns 3-star STS rating as board hears increases in cardiac volume and quality gains
Summary
At a Jackson Health System board meeting, trustees heard that the Jackson Heart Institute won a 3-star rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and that cardiac surgery volume rose sharply after new leadership; board members were also told systemwide quality, financial and HR metrics are trending positively.
The Jackson Health System board heard an update on hospital performance that highlighted a new Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) 3-star rating for the Jackson Heart Institute and a large increase in cardiac surgery volume.
A presenter told the board that since joining Jackson, Dr. Harry Malidi — identified in the meeting as the health system’s chief of cardiac surgery, program director of heart transplantation and mechanical circulatory support at the Miami Transplant Institute, and director of the Jackson Heart Institute — has overseen cardiac care across the system and helped recruit clinicians to expand the heart team. The board was told the system performed 364 heart surgeries in fiscal 2023 and is projecting 562 for the current year, a 54% increase in volume.
Board members were also informed that the Jackson Heart Institute’s adult heart surgery program earned a 3-star rating from the STS for coronary artery bypass surgery and for multi-procedural overall cardiac surgical performance. The presenter described the STS three-star designation as a measure that compares observed outcomes against expected results after adjusting for patient risk factors and said the recognition places the program among top-performing cardiac surgery programs nationally.
The report framed the rating as evidence of the program’s surgical outcomes and tied the clinical gains to broader system improvements. During the same sequence of reports, the board received a quality update noting that initiatives undertaken over the past two years related to high reliability and patient satisfaction are trending positively, and that system leaders continue to aim for a five-star hospital rating. A separate financial update noted the system is ahead of budget for the year, a result the presenter attributed to stronger operational controls and higher clinical volumes including transplants. Human resources reported progress on an internal staff engagement platform called We Connect and described ongoing HR initiatives to support cross-discipline collaboration.
The remarks in the meeting were informational and did not include a formal board action tied to the STS rating or the operational metrics. Board members acknowledged the presentations and expressed appreciation for leadership and staff.
