Cleveland Clinic's Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute is one of the largest cardiovascular and thoracic specialty groups in the world, providing patients with expert medical management and a full range of therapies. Our areas of expertise combine research, education and clinical practice to provide innovative and scientifically based treatments for cardiac, vascular, esophageal, and thoracic disease.

The commitment of our physicians and scientists to the prevention and cure of cardiovascular disease has led to innovative care, better outcomes and improved quality of life for patients. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s top hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey and has named Cleveland Clinic’s heart program No. 1 in the nation since 1995.

American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines - Heart Failure GOLD Plus Award

Every year since 2011, Cleveland Clinic has received the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines Heart Failure GOLD Plus Certification for improving the quality of care for patients hospitalized with heart failure decompensation.

Gold Plus distinction recognizes hospitals for their success in using Get With The Guidelines treatment interventions. This quality improvement program provides tools that follow proven, evidence-based guidelines and procedures in caring for patients with heart failure to prevent future hospitalizations.

Cleveland Clinic also received the Get With the Guidelines Stroke GOLD Plus Award.

Beacon Award of Excellence - Heart Failure Intensive Care Unit

Cleveland Clinic’s Kaufman Center for Heart Failure Intensive Care Unit (ICU), recently received the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) Beacon Award of Excellence for continuing improvements in providing the highest quality of care for patients.

With more than 6,000 ICUs in the U.S., Cleveland Clinic’s Kaufman Center for Heart Failure ICU joins a distinguished group of just over 300 ICUs to receive the Beacon Award since the award's inception in 2003. The award recognizes individual critical care units that show the highest level of standards in patient safety and quality in acute and critical care.

Cleveland Clinic Gets Stellar Rating

As a participant in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) public reporting initiative, Cleveland Clinic is proud to achieve a three-star rating (highest) in all five categories for adult cardiac surgery, both categories for General Thoracic Surgery and the newest rating for Transcatheter Aortic Heart Valve Replacement. These categories include:

  • Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (time frame July 2019-June 2022)
  • Aortic Valve Replacement (time frame July 2019-June 2022)
  • Aortic Valve Replacement + Coronary Artery Bypass (time frame July 2019-June 2022)
  • Mitral Valve Repair/Replacement (time frame July 2019-June 2022)
  • Mitral Valve Repair/Replacement + Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (time frame July 2019-June 2022)
  • Lobectomy for lung cancer (time frame July 2017-June 2020)
  • Esophagectomy for esophageal cancer (time frame July 2017-June 2020)
  • Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (STS/ACC TVT Registry, time frame October 2018-September 2021)

Learn more about this comprehensive rating system

The Society for Vascular Surgery's Vascular Quality Initiative

The Society for Vascular Surgery's Vascular Quality Initiative (SVS VQI) has awarded Cleveland Clinic three out of three stars for its active participation in the Registry Participation Program. The mission of the SVS VQI is to improve patient safety and the quality of vascular care delivery by providing web-based collection, aggregation and analysis of clinical data submitted in registry format for all patients undergoing specific vascular treatments. The VQI operates 14 vascular registries.

For more information, visit the Vascular Quality Initiative.