ATLANTA—For the third consecutive year, Saint Joseph’s Hospital was named one of the top 100 cardiovascular hospitals in the nation by Solucient, previously named HCIA-Sachs, a health care information company.

The only hospital in Atlanta to make the list, Saint Joseph’s distinguished itself in open-heart surgery, coronary angioplasty and acute care of heart attack victims.

The study found significant differences in performance between the top hospitals and their peers, with variations of as much as 11 to 34 percent in clinical outcomes for service in the areas of heart attack, angioplasty and artery-related treatments and procedures. The study also found large variations in cost—on average, top hospitals operate at nearly $2,000 less per cardiology case.

Brue Chandler, president of the hospital, credits the hospital staff with the honor.

“We are extremely honored that Saint Joseph’s Hospital has been recognized once again as one of the best heart hospitals in the country,” he said. “We are proud of the Saint Joseph’s Hospital staff and physicians who consistently work to maintain our combination of quality and cost containment.”

Solucient analysts determined that if all of the hospitals studied performed at the level of Saint Joseph’s and others named to the top 100 list, major improvements would result, including a significant decrease in mortality rates and infection rates, as well as an annual savings of about $1.35 million among Medicare patients alone.

The winners of the award include 25 teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residency programs, 45 teaching hospitals without cardiovascular residency programs and 30 community hospitals, like Saint Joseph’s. The hospitals were grouped to maintain consistency with the representation of hospitals in each group, both throughout the country and in the study group. The list can be viewed at www.100TopHospitals.com.

The study was based on computerized review and analysis of Medicare cardiovascular cases using clinical and financial measures such as average length of stay, risk-adjusted complications and mortality rates and severity-adjusted costs per case.

Founded by the Sisters of Mercy in 1880, Saint Joseph’s Hospital is Atlanta’s oldest hospital. Today, Saint Joseph’s is recognized as one of the leading acute-care, specialty-referral hospitals in the Southeast. At the core of Saint Joseph’s tradition is its Catholic mission dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the communities it serves. Saint Joseph’s is a member of Catholic Health East and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy.