Genesis Cardiac Surgery has received the highest designation for quality in heart surgery from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, a world organization organization of cardiothoracic surgeons and researchers.

According to a Genesis new release, only 10 to 15 percent of hospitals receive a 3-star rating. In the current analysis of national data, Genesis' cardiac surgery performance was found to be in the highest quality tier from January 2011 to December 2011.

Thousands of heart programs and heart surgeons voluntarily submit data to the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, which represents more than 6,400 surgeons worldwide who operate on the thorax or chest.

Its Adult Cardiac Surgery Database includes more than 4.5 million surgical records and represents an estimated 94 percent of all adult cardiac surgery centers across the U.S., making it the largest such registry in the world, according to the release.

The STS ratings reflect results from heart-bypass operations called coronary artery bypass grafting, or CABG. Quality measures are divided into four categories:

-- Patient survival: the percentage of patients surviving at least 30 days after surgery and who are discharged from the hospital.

-- Absence of surgical complication: The percentage of patients who leave the hospital with none of the five most serious complications of CABG—re-operation, stroke, kidney failure, infection of the chest wound, or prolonged need to be supported by a ventilator.

-- Recommended medications: How often the four medications believed to improve a patient's immediate outcome and long-term risk of developing more blockages were prescribed -- beta-blockers, aspirin or similar drugs to prevent clotting, and additional beta-blockers and cholesterol-lowering medicines prescribed after surgery.

-- Optimal surgical technique: The percentage of CABG procedures that use at least one of the arteries from the underside of the chest wall -- the internal mammary artery— for bypass grafting. This artery has been shown to function much longer than vein grafts, which can become blocked over time.

In addition to the three-star rating, Genesis Cardiac Surgeons was one of eight medical practices in the country to receive a 2011 Summit Award from Press-Ganey. It demonstrates patient satisfaction scores ranking in the 95th percentile or above for a minimum three years in a row.