The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

The ratings of surgical groups that perform coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) that appear on ConsumerReports.org are based on data from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). It's a not-for-profit organization that represents some 5,400 surgeons worldwide who operate on the chest (or thorax), including the heart, lungs, and esophagus.

STS has maintained the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database since 1989. It's now the largest such registry in the world, including more than 4 million surgical records and representing more than 90 percent of adult cardiac surgery groups in the U.S. Surgeons add new data to the registry four times a year, providing an up-to-date picture of cardiac surgical practice. Much of the information is collected at the time of care, making it more valuable than data collected for administrative or insurance reasons or doctor ratings based on professional reputation.

STS contracts with an independent organization, the Duke Clinical Research Institute, to analyze the data and prepare reports for participating surgical groups, comparing their performance with national benchmarks for surgical quality. The STS and surgeons from each group have agreed to share some data on heart bypass surgery with Consumer Reports as part of their ongoing commitment to improving care and helping patients make informed decisions.

Visit The Society of Thoracic Surgeons website