The FCV is part of the 'TOP-3' best Latin American hospitals in cardiology

• The Chilean magazine AméricaEconomía posted its annual ranking of the best Latin American hospitals, and for the first time, it presents a list of medical specialties.

The FCV was ranked as the best Colombian hospital and the second most relevant in Latin America in cardiology, according to the “Hospitals and Clinics Ranking in Latin America 2021”, posted by the specialized magazine AméricaEconomía.

Among 61 hospitals in 11 countries, the report highlighted the FCV's work as the only institution with Joint Commission International certifications (the most prestigious health accrediting organization) in programs such as heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, cardiac transplantation, and ventricular assistance.

"It is an honor for each of the FCV's 5,000 employees to receive this recognition, which reflects the institution's commitment to quality and the safety of our patients", said Víctor Raúl Castillo Mantilla, president of the FCV.

AméricaEconomía magazine also gave a high rating to several of the FCV's accomplishments such as the first artificial heart implant in South America, performed at the institution in 2014, and the experience acquired with more than 200 heart transplants, among many other achievements.

"35 years after the birth of the FCV and 31 after the first heart surgery in Santander, the evolution we have achieved has been impressive and it allows us to place ourselves in a privileged position in the ranking today", says Castillo.

Besides the ranking by specialties, which was published for the first time, the traditional general ranking was also posted. Compared to 2020, the FCV moved up one position to become the 6th best hospital in Latin America and remained as the 3rd best in Colombia.

"In our hospitals, Instituto Cardiovascular and Hospital Internacional de Colombia, we have 13 medical institutes which consist of more than 96 clinical care units and different specialties. In this way, we cover all areas of healthcare in Colombia", says the president of the FCV.

To complement medical care, the institution promotes development and innovation through the FCV’s Research Center, which currently has 15 research groups. "Each year we publish an average of 60 articles, and 70% of them are in high impact indexed journals", says Norma Serrano Díaz, Director of Research, related to this item of great importance for the ranking preparation.

According to Sonia Ramírez Ribero, FCV’s Vice-President, the good results obtained are a motivation to continue growing: "Our eyes are set on being part of the select group of the 100 best hospitals in the world in 2030".

About the ranking “Hospitals and Clinics Ranking in Latin America” The Chilean magazine AméricaEconomía has been carrying out this ranking since 2009 (it is the oldest hospital ranking in the region), and takes into account seven dimensions such as patient safety, human capital, capacity and infrastructure, knowledge management, efficiency, prestige, and patient experience.

Any Latin American hospital or high complexity clinic that provides multiple services in a wide range of medical specialties can be evaluated. It is also important to be mentioned as a reference by the Ministry of Health of its country.

The final ranking consists of 61 hospitals from 11 countries in Latin America, which were qualified with the minimum cut-off of 40 points in their quality index. Private hospitals are in the majority (67%), followed by private university hospitals (23%), public university hospitals, and non-university public hospitals (5% each).

On this occasion, besides the general and Cardiology ranking, performance in Oncology, Gynecology, and Pediatrics was measured.