The following templates are available for use when promoting STS three-star and better-than-expected ratings. Media toolkit and media outreach questions may be directed to Kathy Cummings, director of communications, here.
Questions regarding Public Reporting may be directed to Sydney Clinton, quality and database operations manager, online here.
NOTE: An STS National Database participant is a hospital cardiothoracic surgery department or cardiothoracic surgery group operating at one or more hospitals. In some instances, an individual surgeon may be a participant. Database participants submit surgical cases for analysis and comparison with benchmarking data to support quality improvement initiatives.
Results are based on a participant’s unique group of patients (known as case-mix) and the number of surgical procedures in each category. Results and star ratings are participant-specific and are not intended for direct comparison to other participants
[STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in isolated coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places [PARTICIPANT] among the elite for heart bypass surgery in the US and Canada.
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs across the US and Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.
Historically, approximately 21% of participants receive the three-star rating for isolated CABG surgery. The latest analysis of data for CABG surgery covers a three-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants,” said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass greater than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
[STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR) surgery. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places [PARTICIPANT] among the elite for AVR surgery in the US and Canada.
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the US and Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.
Historically, approximately 3-4% of participants receive the three-star rating for isolated AVR surgery. The latest analysis of data for AVR surgery covers a three-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants,” said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
[STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in aortic valve replacement (AVR) combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places [PARTICIPANT] among the elite for AVR+CABG surgery in the US and Canada.
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the US and Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.
Historically, approximately 5% of participants receive the three-star rating for AVR+CABG surgery. The latest analysis of data for AVR+CABG surgery covers a three-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants,” said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
[STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in isolated mitral valve replacement and repair (MVRR) surgery. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places [PARTICIPANT] among the elite for MVRR surgery in the US and Canada.
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the US and Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.
Historically, approximately 11% of participants receive the three-star rating for MVRR surgery. The latest analysis of data for MVRR surgery covers a three-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants,” said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
[STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes in mitral valve replacement and repair (MVRR) surgery combined with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places [PARTICIPANT] among the elite for MVRR+CABG surgery in the US and Canada.
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the US and Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.
Historically, approximately 7% of participants receive the three-star rating for MVRR+CABG surgery. The latest analysis of data for MVRR+CABG surgery covers a three-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants”, said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
[STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has earned a distinguished three-star rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its in patient care and outcomes for all analyzed procedures, including isolated CABG, isolated AVR, AVR+CABG, MVRR, MVRR+CABG, multi-valve, and multi-valve+CABG. The three-star rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places [PARTICIPANT] among the elite in the US and Canada.
The STS star rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the US and Canada. The star rating is calculated using a combination of quality measures for specific procedures performed by an STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database participant.
Historically, approximately 28% of participants receive the three-star rating for the multiprocedural composite measure. The latest analysis of data for multiprocedural performance outcomes covers a three-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants”, said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
Recent data analysis of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD) shows that [STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has achieved better-than-expected outcomes for its case-mix. A participant’s case-mix considers different patient factors such as age, weight, procedure types, and existing health conditions (e.g., prior heart operations, non-cardiac congenital abnormalities, chromosomal abnormalities, syndromes, and preoperative risk factors). Some hospitals may treat more patients with more complicated and higher-risk conditions than other hospitals and, therefore, operate on patients with a lower chance of survival.
CHSD participants’ performance is calculated based on overall risk-adjusted operative mortality for all patients undergoing pediatric and/or congenital heart surgery performed by an STS CHSD participant.
Historically, approximately 14% of participants have better-than-expected outcomes for congenital heart surgery. The latest analysis of data for congenital heart surgery covers a four-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants,” said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
[STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has earned a distinguished better-than-expected rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes for lung cancer resection procedures. This rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places [PARTICIPANT] among the elite for general thoracic surgery in the US and Canada.
The STS rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the US and Canada.
The General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD) ratings are derived by testing whether the participant's composite or domain score is significantly different from the overall STS average for primary lung cancer resections performed by GTSD participants.
Historically, approximately 10% of participants receive the better-than-expected rating for primary lung cancer resection. The latest analysis of data for lung cancer resection covers a three-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
“The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants,” said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the GTSD, and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The GTSD is the largest and most robust clinical thoracic surgical database in the United States and Canada. The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
[STS NATIONAL DATABASE PARTICIPANT*] has earned a distinguished better-than-expected rating from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for its patient care and outcomes for esophagectomy procedures. This rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places [PARTICIPANT] among the elite for general thoracic surgery in the US and Canada.
The STS rating system is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in healthcare, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs in the US and Canada.
The General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD) ratings are derived by testing whether the participant's composite or domain score is significantly different from the overall STS average for esophagectomy for esophageal cancer procedures performed by GTSD participants.
Historically, approximately 6% of participants receive the better than expected rating for esophagectomy. The latest analysis of data for esophagectomy covers a three-year period, from [MONTH/YEAR] to [MONTH/YEAR], and includes [NUMBER] participants.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons leads the effort in quality improvement by maintaining one of the most penetrant clinical databases in cardiothoracic surgery that employs high-fidelity risk models to provide risk-adjusted outcomes to individual participants,” said Ram Kumar Subramanyan, MD, PhD, Chair of the STS Council on Quality and Research. “STS thanks participants for voluntarily submitting data to the databases, demonstrating their commitment to improving healthcare delivery. Voluntary public reporting of outcomes by individual participants provides patients and their families with meaningful information to help them make informed decisions about healthcare.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the GTSD, and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The GTSD is the largest and most robust clinical thoracic surgical database in the United States and Canada. The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the US.
About STS
Founded in 1964, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons is a not-for-profit organization representing more than 7,800 cardiothoracic surgeons, researchers, and allied healthcare professionals worldwide who are dedicated to ensuring the best possible outcomes for surgeries of the heart, lung, and esophagus, as well as other surgical procedures within the chest. The Society’s mission is to enhance the ability of cardiothoracic surgeons to provide the highest quality patient care through education, research, and advocacy.
Updated June 2025