Appropriate and Timely Treatment for Heart Failure
When the heart's ability to pump blood is weakened it can result in heart failure. There are many different types of heart conditions that can cause heart failure.
LVF Assessment
What are we measuring?
Percent of patients given assessment of left ventricular function (LVF).
Why is this important?
Hospitals perform tests, such as echocardiograms, to assess how the left chamber of the heart is pumping in a patient with heart failure. An echocardiogram is a type of test that creates a moving picture of the heart using sound waves. BIDMC gathers this diagnostic information to determine how best to treat the patient.
What does our performance tells us?
BIDMC reports its performance on this measure every quarter to the US Department of Health & Human Services, which posts this information on its website at Hospital Compare. The chart shows BIDMC's most recent quarterly performance, compared to the performance of the nation's Top 10% hospitals. Look for big differences in the scores in order to be sure the difference is meaningful. Small differences may not reflect real differences in performance (i.e., they may not be statistically significant). 
Source of comparison data: HospitalCompare, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, April 2013.
View our past performance over time.
According to Hospital Compare , 100% of patients with heart failure at the nation's Top 10% of hospitals are assessed to see how the left chamber of the heart is pumping so the best treatment can be determined. At BIDMC, 100% of heart failure patients were given a LVF assessment either before, during, or planned for after discharge from the hospital. Therefore, BIDMC's performance is among the nation's Top 10% of hospitals for giving a LVF assessment to patient with congestive heart failure.
Other useful specific services measures:
Last updated: April 5, 2013