High Death Rate in Hospital’s New Cardiology Service Forces a Shut-Down

A hospital opened its new Heart Institute to great fanfare, only to find within three months of the opening they were experiencing an extremely high death rate among open heart surgery patients. A decision was made to suspend operations until they could determine what was going wrong. Within days of the shut-down, PCI was retained to provide counsel on the announcement and follow-up communications.

The cardiology service was extremely important to the hospital – both financially and in terms of prestige in its market – and the hospital thought it imperative to retain the service. Media were already on the story and speculative stories were beginning to break that there was a serious problem at the hospital’s Heart Institute.

PCI counseled a strategy of honesty and transparency that allowed the hospital to take control of its message and be clear, confident and proactive in its communications. The hospital’s actions were swift and direct:

• advise patients/families of the deceased; suspend operations and invite a team from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons to evaluate the program;
• announce the findings and follow them;
• open when the public could be assured of quality, compassionate care

PCI staff prepared spokespersons and all materials.  The Institute’s closure was announced in letters and by phone to all audiences, along with the hospital’s deep concern for its patients and its commitment to care.

Actions were communicated to all stakeholders, beginning with “the family” of employees, physicians and others and including all audiences who patronized, supported or cared about the hospital.

A year after it closed, the Heart Institute successfully reopened with a re-commitment to excellence and a high patient volume.