We respect your privacy. ALL email addresses you provide will be used just for sending this story. Sometimes, heart disease erupts as a full-blown emergency with sudden, crushing chest pain. But in many situations, the path to aggressive care moves faster than called for, which can lead to overtreatment as well as worse outcomes and complications, says William Boden, M.

That involves talking with your doctors about everything from whether you really need an expensive imaging test or invasive procedure to which hospital to choose if you do need open heart surgery. But some doctors include exercise stress tests as part of routine checkups, or as a safety check in people heading to certain surgeries.

In that lab, a physician first performs coronary angiography, which involves threading a thin tube into an artery and injecting a dye so that narrowing shows up on an X-ray. But patients are sometimes asked to sign a consent form that allows doctors, if they see restricted blood flow, to immediately perform a procedure called angioplasty to remove the blockage.

Performing an angioplasty involves a doctor inflating a thin balloon in the artery to widen it at the blockage, leaving a stent in place to prop the blood vessel open. It can be lifesaving when performed within hours of a heart attack. But in other circumstances, lifestyle changes plus drugs to control blood pressure and cholesterol levels and prevent clots is at least as effective and usually safer. A review in JAMA Internal Medicine found that approach could cut the number of angioplasties by 80 percent.

One explanation for the continued overuse of angioplasty is that it is seen as a moneymaker for doctors and hospitals, says David Brown, M. In some cases, heart disease is so serious that drugs, even when combined with angioplasty, may not be enough. In that case you probably need open heart surgery, often to either bypass blood flow around blockages in your coronary arteries or to correct a malfunctioning heart valve. Instead, your doctor can often stabilize your condition with drugs, giving you time to consider options.

Unfortunately, finding that information is harder than it is for cars. But Consumer Reports now has updated ratings of almost hospitals nationwide on how they perform on open heart surgery, including coronary bypass surgery and aortic valve replacement. The ratings are published in partnership with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons STSwhich collects data directly from hospitals on several key measures, including actual mortality and complication rates.

Most other hospital ratings rely instead on billing records that hospitals submit to insurers, which tend to be less accurate, says David Shahian, M. In addition, STS holds hospitals to high standards, Shahian says. Hospitals share their data voluntarily. Which hospital you choose matters. Of the hospitals in our ratings, only about 70 appear in our chart of best heart hospitals that appear at the end of this report.

Note that Cleveland Clinic does not appear in the chart; though it earns a top score for valve replacement, it could not be rated on bypass surgery due to incomplete data. Choosing the right surgeon is also important. Though information about specific surgeons is even trickier to find, Consumer Reports, working with STS, does report outcomes on heart surgery for groups of surgeons who practice together. Those ratings are available at CR. If you're reading this article on your smartphone, we recommend you rotate your phone to landscape mode to better view the tables below.

This article also appeared in the May issue of Consumer Reports magazine. I'm a science journalist and storyteller, always regarding fads with skepticism and analyzing studies with care.

Decisions about our health are some of the most difficult and critical we all make, so I favor evidence over anecdote and aim to find clarity amidst the confusion. When I'm not reading, writing, and editing, I enjoy hiking, bike touring, and trying new foods in Queens, where I live. Cars Car Batteries New Cars Tires Used Cars. Electronics Digital Cameras Laptops Printers TVs. Money Car Insurance Credit Cards Luggage Homeowners Insurance. More on Appliances Least and Most Reliable Washing Machine Brands.

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Slowing Down the Rush to Open Heart Surgery. Smart questions you can ask to make informed choices. Yes, send me a copy of this email. Oops, certified forex trader messed up. Here are the key questions to ask along the way: More on Heart Health Take Charge of Your Heart Health Understanding the Stages of Heart Disease How Heart Attacks in Women and Men Are Different The Dangers of Too Many Heart Tests The Healing Power of a Heart-Healthy Diet Why Hospitals Need to Share Heart Surgery Success Rates Top Hospitals for Congenital Heart Disease Who Really Needs Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Drugs?

Blood Pressure Monitor Buying Guide. Do I Really Need That Test? Are Drugs or Stents Better? Find Top Hospitals for Heart Surgery. Click on the icons in the map below to see how well hospitals in your area rate for bypass, valve replacement, and pediatric heart surgery. Want a different location? WORSE THAN EXPECTED AS EXPECTED BETTER THAN EXPECTED. Data come from The Society for Thoracic Surgeons. For details go How We Rate Hospitals. Which Hospital to Choose?

Elizabeth's Medical Center Brighton, MA Elizabeth moneymaker sarasota Valley Hospital Ridgewood, NJ UMass Memorial Medical Center Worcester, MA Vassar Brothers Us dollar to japanese yen exchange rate historical data Center Poughkeepsie, NY Baystate Medical Center Springfield, MA Catholic Medical Center Manchester, NH Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA Heritage Valley Beaver Beaver, PA Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune, NJ Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge, MA Penn State M.

Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick, NJ St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center Syracuse, NY St. For more on our hospital ratings, go to CR. Ratings for Hospitals in the South Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.

Hospital Location Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery Cone Health - Moses Cone Memorial Hospital Greensboro, NC Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital Atlanta, GA Lynchburg General Hospital Lynchburg, VA Memorial Regional Hospital Hollywood, FL Orlando Health Orlando, FL Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Sarasota, FL The Heart Hospital of Baylor Plano Plano, TX Vidant Medical Center Greenville, NC Duke Regional Hospital Durham, NC Harlingen Medical Center Harlingen, TX Holston Valley Medical Center Kingsport, TN King's Daughters' Medical Center Ashland, KY McLeod Regional Medical Center Florence, SC MedStar Heart Institute MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC Morton Plant Hospital Clearwater, FL Naples Community Hospital Naples, FL Providence Hospital Columbia, SC Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital Nashville, TN Saint Thomas West Hospital Nashville, TN The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY TriStar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN University of Tennessee Medical Center Knoxville, TN University omx stock quote marketwatch Virginia Health System Charlottesville, VA Vanderbilt What to make with old cashmere sweaters Medical Center Nashville, TN WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Marietta, GA Winchester Medical Center Winchester, VA For more on our hospital ratings, go elizabeth moneymaker sarasota CR.

Ratings for Hospitals in the Midwest Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin Hospital Location Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery Boone Hospital Center Columbia, MO St. John Providence System - St. Ratings for Hospitals in the West Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming Hospital Location Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Aortic Valve Replacement Surgery Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center Clackamas, OR Dixie Regional Medical Center Saint George, UT El Camino Hospital Mountain View, CA Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Los Angeles Medical Center Los Angeles, CA Portneuf Medical Center Pocatello, ID Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane, WA Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles, CA Saint Joseph Hospital Denver, CO Sequoia Hospital Redwood City, CA St.

Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA Stanford Health Care Palo Alto, CA Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA HOW WE RATE HOSPITALS: The data come from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for hospitals that have agreed to share their information with us.

This reflects a hospital's performance in isolated coronary artery bypass graft surgery between July and June The rating is a composite of four measures: Aortic valve replacement ratings: This reflects a hospital's performance in surgical aortic valve replacement between July and June It does not include data for a newer procedure, transcatheter aortic valve replacement. The valve replacement rating is a composite of two measures: Shopping links are provided by eBay Commerce Network and Amazon, which makes it easy to find the right product from a variety of online retailers.

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Friedman I'm a science journalist and storyteller, always regarding fads with skepticism and analyzing studies with care. More From Consumer Reports. Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram More Google Plus Pinterest.

About Us Donate Help Career Opportunities. Cape Cod Hospital Hyannis, MA. Elizabeth's Medical Center Brighton, MA. The Valley Hospital Ridgewood, NJ.

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UMass Memorial Medical Center Worcester, MA. Vassar Brothers Medical Center Poughkeepsie, NY. Baystate Medical Center Springfield, MA. Catholic Medical Center Manchester, NH.

Forbes Hospital Monroeville, PA. Heritage Valley Beaver Beaver, PA. Jersey Shore University Medical Center Neptune, NJ. Massachusetts General Hospital Boston, MA.

Mount Auburn Hospital Cambridge, MA. Hershey Medical Center Hershey, PA.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital New Brunswick, NJ. Joseph's Hospital Health Center Syracuse, NY. Luke's University Hospital Bethlehem, PA. The Mount Sinai Hospital New York, NY. UPMC Hamot Erie, PA. Yale New Haven Hospital New Haven, CT. York Hospital York, PA. Cone Health - Moses Cone Memorial Hospital Greensboro, NC. Emory Saint Joseph's Hospital Atlanta, GA. Lynchburg General Hospital Lynchburg, VA. Memorial Regional Hospital Hollywood, FL. Orlando Health Orlando, FL.

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Sarasota, FL. The Heart Hospital of Baylor Plano Plano, TX. Vidant Medical Center Greenville, NC. Duke Regional Hospital Durham, NC. Harlingen Medical Center Harlingen, TX. Holston Valley Medical Center Kingsport, TN. King's Daughters' Medical Center Ashland, KY. McLeod Regional Medical Center Florence, SC. MedStar Heart Institute MedStar Washington Hospital Center Washington, DC.

Slowing Down the Rush to Open Heart Surgery - Consumer Reports

Morton Plant Hospital Clearwater, FL. Naples Community Hospital Naples, FL.

Providence Hospital Columbia, SC. Saint Thomas Midtown Hospital Nashville, TN. Saint Thomas West Hospital Nashville, TN. The Medical Center at Bowling Green Bowling Green, KY. TriStar Centennial Medical Center Nashville, TN. University of Tennessee Medical Center Knoxville, TN. University of Virginia Health System Charlottesville, VA. Vanderbilt University Medical Center Nashville, TN. WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center Marietta, GA. Winchester Medical Center Winchester, VA.

Boone Hospital Center Columbia, MO. Cloud Hospital Saint Cloud, MN. Advocate Lutheran General Hospital Park Ridge, IL. Borgess Medical Center Kalamazoo, MI. Henry Ford Macomb Hospital Clinton Township, MI. Hillcrest Hospital Cleveland, OH.

Kansas Medical Center Andover, KS. Nebraska Methodist Hospital Omaha, NE. OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center Rockford, IL. John Hospital and Medical Center Detroit, MI. University Hospitals Case Medical Center Cleveland, OH.

University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics Madison, WI. Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center Clackamas, OR. Dixie Regional Medical Center Saint George, UT.

El Camino Hospital Mountain View, CA. Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Los Angeles Medical Center Los Angeles, CA. Portneuf Medical Center Pocatello, ID.

Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center and Children's Hospital Spokane, WA. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Los Angeles, CA. Saint Joseph Hospital Denver, CO. Sequoia Hospital Redwood City, CA. Joseph Medical Center Tacoma, WA. Stanford Health Care Palo Alto, CA. Virginia Mason Medical Center Seattle, WA.