Quality Measures

The UMass Memorial Heart and Vascular Center has a proven track record of superior results. UMass Memorial Medical Center has received local, regional and national recognition for high-quality cardiac and vascular care, including:

• Leading physicians
• Pioneering advancements
• State-of-the-art facilities

The one decision you can be confident in is choosing us for your heart and vascular care. We have the region’s most extensive resources for managing all types of heart and vascular disease.

We demand excellence in everything we do. It’s why our Medical Center is among the best hospitals in New England for heart attack survival and one of the top heart programs nationwide for coronary artery bypass and aortic valve replacement surgery.

Quality Indicators: Heart and Vascular Center

A national leader in cardiovascular care according to many quality benchmarks and measures:

• Recognized by US News & World Report as high performing in cardiac bypass surgery, heart attack and heart failure
• Recognized with The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for our ventricular assist device (VAD) program.
• The only site in New England with a 3-star rating for TAVR outcomes in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons–American College of Cardiology Transcatheter Valve Therapy Registry, which monitors patient safety and outcomes
• Received four-star ratings for implantable electrophysiology (EP) device implant metrics and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) metrics from the American College of Cardiology's National Cardiovascular Data Registry program. 
• First hospital in the U.S. to perform an aneurysm repair with a new technology that uses fiber optic cable imaging instead of X-ray radiation
• Recipient of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get With The Guidelines Gold Achievement Award for treating atrial fibrillation. Region’s most comprehensive atrial fibrillation treatment program
• Received Excellence Award for Cardiac Surgery by Healthgrades
• One of a few hospitals in the U.S. with access to custom-manufactured fenestrated endovascular grafts for the minimally invasive treatment of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms
• One of a few hospitals offering a breakthrough non-drug option to reduce stroke in atrial fibrillation patients
• Granted formal partnership status with the Amputee Coalition, a national non-profit organization focused on providing peer support to patients and families experiencing limb loss or limb difference.

Urgent Cardiac Care in Worcester, MA

At UMass Memorial Medical Center, we understand that seconds matter after a heart attack. Our community hospitals, emergency medical services and the Medical Center work together so patients receive the fastest, most appropriate emergency care.

Our achievements and recognitions include:

• Our "door-to-balloon" time (the length of time from when a heart attack patient enters our Emergency Department to when his/her blocked artery is opened in our cardiac catheterization lab) averages 66 minutes, significantly below national standards.
• Modeled on our highly successful reduction in door-to-balloon times for ST-elevated Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) patients, our ruptured abdominal aneurysms (AAA) team is reducing door-to-incision time for AAA through precise coordination among emergency medical services, the emergency room and the operating room.
• The Code Rupture Program, a treatment for patients with symptomatic or ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA), has reduced by half the mortality for this challenging condition.

Pioneering Vascular Care

The Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery and the Vascular Lab at our Medical Center remain the busiest in Massachusetts, performing more than 3,000 procedures and 18,000 noninvasive vascular studies annually — all with consistently excellent outcomes.

Our achievements:

• We are the first hospital in the U.S. to perform an aneurysm repair with a new technology that uses fiber optic cable imaging instead of X-ray radiation reducing radiation to the patient and providers during these treatments.
• We have access to the latest technology in the endovascular treatment of aneurysms, including branched and fenestrated endovascular grafts, and aortic arch branched endografts for treating specific types of aneurysms.
• We feature a Limb Preservation Center for patients at risk of limb loss due to peripheral artery disease or diabetes.