Q&A
Q.
What were the criteria for the highly meritorius US hospital ratings?
A.
There are 3 metrics with their weighted averages which contribute to overall score and national ranking;
Outcomes and Pt Experience 60%
Key Programs and Services 25%
Professional Recognition 15%
Then all scores are tallied for each hospital and makes the ranking.
Q.
Where was Mt. Sinai on this chart 10 and 5 years ago?
A.
We were at number 10 , ten years ago and were at number 6, five years ago. We have been at #4 for last 3 years and now #2 this year.
Q.
Which criteria are you most proud about?
A.
Clinical services and outcomes, we are most proud of. We excelled in these 2 categories by providing high pt volumes with excellent outcomes in complex cases and performing many first in men procedures and devices.
Q.
Which criteria was the hardest to meet?
A.
Patient Experience is very tough to excel because of multiple factors involved in the measurement and we got 3 out of 5 in this category. To climb up in this category, requires in large part commitment by the hospitals in terms of facility cleanliness, ambience, comfort and operational efficiency.
Q.
Has ccclivecases.org contributed to this recognition?
A.
Absolutely ccclivecases by its global reach has contributed in large part to our success of rising in various rankings including USworld news rankings.
Q.
Does a DCB procedure require as meticulous a lesion preparation as placing a resorbable stent?
A.
Actually DCB procedure requires optimal lesion preparation but not as extensive as for bio-resorbable scaffold. The DCB concept is that lesion has opened well without dissection and does need the stent and then we do the final DCB treatment.
Q.
What sizes is a DCB available in?
A.
DCB is available from 2-4mm with quarter sizes and length from 8-40mm.
Q.
1:1 sizing?
A.
Yes DCB is 1:1 sizing with inflation at 8-10 atm for 60 seconds.
Q.
Why has its pick up been slower in the US?
A.
Currently, DCB use is at low level in US, due to lack of universal reimbursement by various insurance carriers and high cost of ($5600) of the device. Currently only Medicare and Aetna insurance reimburse DCB procedures only on Ambulatory basis.
Q.
Which DCB coating agent is better - paclitxel or sirolimus?
A.
There have few RCT comparing both DCB coatings and there has been no winners yet. in my opinion Paclitaxel has a little better edge over Sirolimus in terms of overall TLF at 1year.
