Stanford Hospital Receives 2022 Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award

by Roxanna Van Norman
May 24, 2022

The American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation recognizes Stanford Health Care’s commitment to best practices and quality for mitral valve repair

The American Heart Association and the Mitral Foundation have awarded the 2022 Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award to Stanford Health Care for a demonstrated record of superior clinical outcomes in mitral valve repair.

“Our team works incredibly hard to provide our patients and their referring physicians with the best options for optimal outcomes in heart surgery,” said Joseph Woo, MD, the Norman E. Shumway Professor and Chair of the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery. “We are honored to receive this recognition for our commitment to clinical excellence and outstanding quality in mitral valve repair.”

Stanford Health Care is one of three hospitals in the western U.S. to receive the Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award by the American Heart Association and Mitral Foundation for mitral valve repair surgery.

The Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center designation allows patients to identify the nation’s best surgeons and hospitals for mitral valve repair surgery. Stanford earned the award for demonstrating adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines and an ongoing commitment to reporting and measuring quality and outcome metrics specific to mitral valve repairs.

The recommended treatment for degenerative mitral valve disease is mitral valve repair, as opposed to valve replacement with a bioprosthetic or mechanical valve since valve repair is associated with improved survival and fewer long-term complications. Many patients who would benefit from repair receive replacement valves, with higher rates of death or complications within five years after surgery.  

Stanford is listed on the Mitral Foundation’s directory of Mitral Valve Repair Reference Centers throughout the country, one of only three in the West and the first center in the western half of the United States to receive this designation. This is the third consecutive year that Stanford has achieved this recognition since the Reference Center program launched in November 2019. 

For more information, visit the Stanford Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery and Stanford Health Care Mitral Valve Repair Surgery websites.

More information about the American Heart Association and Mitral Foundation Mitral Valve Repair Reference Center Award is available at www.heart.org.

Connect with our Stanford team

Reference Surgeon: Joseph Woo, MD

300 Pasteur Drive
Stanford, CA 94305-5407

For more information, visit the Stanford Health Care Mitral Valve Repair Surgery website.

Roberto Vargas

Cardiovascular Surgery Clinic Manager
(650) 850-1985

RoVargas@stanfordhealthcare.org