Death rate high for heart attack victims at VCU

While it’s never a good time or place to have a heart attack, VCU Medical Center has the third highest death rates for heart attack victims in Virginia, which is three points above the national average.

A study by the government’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid did a survey of 4,200 hospitals nationwide. The study showed that VCU Medical Center had 19.8 percent death rate for people who are admitted with heart attacks, and a 19 percent readmission rate.

The death rate was just low enough to keep VCU off the list of top 100 highest death rates for Heart Attack. Danville Regional Medical Center had the fourth highest death rates in the nation for admitted heart attack victims at 23.3 percent.

The death rate is six percent higher than Bon Secours Saint Mary’s, and three percent higher than Henrico Doctors.

When it comes to heart failure, the death rate at VCU, 9.9 percent, is slightly lower than the other hospitals in the region such as CJW Medical Center has the highest death rate at 11.8 percent.

VCU Medical Center does provide care for the bulk of Richmond’s uninsured and low income population, by nature of its location downtown—which means those patients could be in a poorer state of health when they are admitted.

You can see all the statistics for hospitals nationwide on USA Today’s website.

VCU Medical Center already paperless

VCU Medical Center has gone almost completely paperless, putting the local hospital at the fore of a federal push to digitize records. Read more

Biotech center raises funds for foreign investment

A private-investment fund being raised for the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park will provide support to international companies that want to add their presence to the research center. Read more

Ferrari-driving former MCV liver surgeon performed unecessary transplants, says WSJ

The Wall Street Journal has a fascinating story about a Ferrari-driving liver surgeon.

According to the WSJ, Amadeo Marcos, who was pressured to leave the VCU School of Medicine in 2000 after a colleague filed a sexual assault complaint, was recruited to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to boost the number of lucrative liver transplants at that hospital. It does not say anything about his professional record while at MCV.

The story basically says he was doing more liver transplants than he should have in Pittsburgh, and helping the non-profit hospital reap windfall profits. The procedure costs more than $400,000.

“A shortage of transplantable organs for cadavers is a perennial constraint on the number of liver transplants,” writes John Carreyrou. “Dr. Marcos overcame this in part by using organs from so-called expanded criteria donors – deceased people who had been older or sicker than preferred living donors.”

RBS Ad Report Card: VCU Hospital’s strong dose of scary

The ad’s goal is is to make sure people know that the new $184 million facility is available, but might the ads just be too darn depressing? Read more