Match the procedure
A hospital-wide rating cannot answer a procedure-specific question. Start with the exact operation being discussed.
HEART SURGERY HOSPITAL QUALITY
Compare the care behind the hospital name.
A hospital-wide star is not a verdict on your operation. Start with current, procedure-specific public information—then add the surgeon, team, resources, and follow-up your case actually needs.
No copied rankings. No estimated hospital volumes. No stale capability table.
THE QUALITY CHECK4 CONTEXTS
Read the reporting period
Public results describe a defined period. Record the dates instead of assuming the display represents today.
Keep the participant attached
An STS result may belong to a hospital, surgical group, or participant—not necessarily every surgeon at the facility.
Add practical fit
Experience, team resources, travel, follow-up, and the details of your case still matter after the public data is reviewed.
LOOK UPcurrent official data
LABELprocedure + participant + period
ASKwhat public data cannot answer
START WITH THE SOURCE
Two official views. Two different questions.
Use the current source directly. Record what it measures and what it leaves out before carrying a number into your decision.
01PROCEDURE-SPECIFIC
STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Public Reporting
Voluntary public results for participating hospitals or surgical groups. The display currently covers defined CABG and valve procedure categories and uses risk-adjusted composite measures.
- Confirm the exact procedure category.
- Preserve the participant name and reporting period.
- Do not treat a missing listing as a rating.
- Do not rank participants from stars alone.
02HOSPITAL-WIDE
Medicare Care Compare
Hospital-wide quality and patient-experience context from Medicare. Its overall rating combines multiple areas and is not a cardiac-surgery or surgeon-specific score.
- Use it as context, not a procedure verdict.
- Look beyond the single overall star.
- Check the available measures and dates.
- Keep patient experience distinct from surgical outcomes.
PATIENT COMPARISON WORKSHEET
Keep the context attached to every answer.
This worksheet stays in your browser until you clear or leave the page. WHITEGLOVEMD does not receive what you type here.
BRING BETTER QUESTIONS
Ask for the details a star cannot show.
These prompts are designed for a surgeon, program coordinator, or treating cardiologist. A precise answer should include the operation and a timeframe.
Open the surgeon question builder- 01
How many operations like mine did this program perform during the most recent available period?
- 02
How many has the proposed surgeon performed, and how often do they perform this exact procedure now?
- 03
Which STS participant or surgical group covers my operation, and what dates does its public result include?
- 04
What are the program’s risk-adjusted outcomes for this procedure—not just its hospital-wide rating?
- 05
If my operation becomes more complex than expected, which specialists and support services are immediately available?
- 06
Who coordinates follow-up, and how will my local cardiologist or surgeon receive the operative plan and discharge information?
READ THE RESULT CAREFULLY
A useful comparison makes uncertainty visible.
If one center has no current public result, if the operation falls outside the displayed category, or if surgeon-specific experience is unknown, write that down. Missing context is a question—not permission to invent an answer.
record exact source language, dates, participant, and procedure.
ask how the proposed surgeon and full team fit your individual operation.
convert hospital-wide stars into a cardiac-surgery ranking.
assume a program capability applies to every patient or surgeon.
FROM PUBLIC DATA TO YOUR DECISION
Hospital context belongs beside the clinical record.
When relevant, WHITEGLOVE Insights™ can organize procedure-specific public information, practical considerations, and focused questions for the next conversation with your treating team. It is educational decision support—not a hospital ranking, referral guarantee, or substitute for your clinicians.
The 24-hour review window begins only after required records and imaging are received and confirmed complete.
HOSPITAL QUALITY FAQ
Use the data without overreading it.
Public reporting can sharpen a question. It cannot choose a hospital for an individual patient by itself.
Open official STS reportingDoes a three-star STS rating mean a hospital is the best choice for me?+
No single rating can determine the best site of care for an individual. STS results are procedure- and reporting-period-specific, reflect a defined participant and case mix, and are not intended by STS for direct ranking of participants. Your operation, clinical risk, surgeon and team experience, geography, and follow-up needs all belong in the decision.
Why does this page no longer publish a ranked hospital list?+
Copied star ratings, estimated volumes, and capability labels can become stale or lose the participant, procedure, and reporting-period context that gives them meaning. This tool sends you to the current official sources and helps you preserve that context in a side-by-side worksheet.
What procedures are included in STS adult cardiac surgery public reporting?+
The current STS public-reporting site includes participating results for isolated CABG, isolated aortic valve replacement, combined aortic valve replacement plus CABG, isolated mitral valve replacement or repair, and combined mitral valve surgery plus CABG. Availability is voluntary and may differ by participant and procedure.
What does it mean if I cannot find a hospital on the STS site?+
Absence from the public display is not, by itself, a quality rating. STS public reporting is voluntary, and a participant may not be displayed for a particular procedure or period for several reasons. Ask the program which participant submits its data and whether it has a current public result for your operation.
Is the CMS overall hospital star rating specific to heart surgery?+
No. Medicare describes its overall hospital rating as a summary across multiple hospital-wide quality areas. It can add context, but it is not a substitute for procedure-specific cardiac surgery information.
Can I directly compare two STS participants by star rating?+
STS cautions that published results reflect each participant’s case mix and procedure count and are not intended for direct participant-to-participant comparison. Use the result as one structured question, then discuss the full clinical and practical context with the treating team.
Can WHITEGLOVEMD tell me where to have surgery?+
WHITEGLOVEMD provides educational decision support, not a hospital ranking or guaranteed placement. When relevant, a WHITEGLOVE Insights™ report can organize public program information and questions to discuss with your treating team. It does not replace clinical judgment, credentialing, hospital acceptance, or insurance authorization.
When does the 24-hour review window begin?+
The 24-hour review window begins only after the required records and imaging are received and confirmed complete. Time needed to obtain missing material is separate.