Where US hospitals stand on value of heart attack care: 5 things to know

Between July 1, 2020, and June 30, 2023, the national average payment for heart attack patients was $28,355. To assess the value of care for heart attack patients, a hospital’s average payment is considered within the context of CMS’ 30-day mortality measure.

Here are five things to know from the CMS data:

1. Hospitals must have reported at least 25 heart attack cases to be evaluated for value of care, which meant 1,908 U.S. hospitals were included in the assessment.
2. Of the 1,851 hospitals who met the national average of 30-day mortality rate for heart attack patients: 1,605 had a heart attack payment that met the national average,144 had a higher payment and 102 had a lower payment.
3. Of the 29 hospitals who had a 30-day mortality rate that was better than the national average: 21 had a payment that met the national average, six had a higher payment and two had a lower payment. 
4. Of the 28 hospitals who had a 30-day mortality rate that was worse than the national average: 19 had a payment that met the national average, seven had a higher payment and two had a lower payment.

Hospitals can find their value of care performance for heart attack patients here.