Lakewood Ranch Medical Center rated as a high-performing hospital

Dr. Vivek Kumar had a follow-up in July with a 70-year-old patient who came into Lakewood Ranch Medical Center in 2018 with symptoms of a heart attack.

Kumar said the patient was months away from retiring in 2018, but the stress of his job as an attorney had taken its toll, said Kumar, who is a doctor of osteopathic medicine at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center. 

Kumar said based on an electrocardiogram, he and his staff knew the patient was suffering from a myocardial infarction. Within 20 minutes of the patient coming into the hospital, he was in the cath lab, and Kumar had his artery open to remove the blockage.

Throughout the years, Kumar said he worked with the patient multiple times to address the patient’s multivessel disease.

Now six years later, the patient was talking about a white water rafting trip he was planning. 

Kumar said through the care provided at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, doctors are able to get to know their patients on a personal level and become part of their lives. 

Positive patient care and outcomes have contributed to U.S. News and World Report naming Lakewood Ranch Medical Center to its 2024-2025 Best Hospitals as a high-performing hospital for heart attack care, knee replacements and hip replacements. It is the highest distinction a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals Procedures and Conditions ratings.

Lyn Swann, a registered nurse and director of cardiovascular services at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, said the quality of care for heart attacks starts in the field with local emergency medical services. She said when patients call 911, EMS workers are able to make a diagnosis based on an electrocardiogram and then can communicate with the emergency room about the patient’s status. That communication allows the doctors and hospital staff to better prepare for the patients when they come through the doors. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

Kumar, Swann and Ma Lou Kaseta, a nurse and quality and accreditation director, said sometimes people don’t call 911 because they don’t want to be seen being put into an ambulance or an ambulance pulling up to their home. The medical professionals said people need to ignore any associated stigma and call 911 because it could save precious time. 

Kaseta said the hospital’s goal is 60 minutes, from the time a patient sees EMS to when the patient is in the cath lab and the vessel is opened. That is 30 minutes less than the standard of 90 minutes. 

“That’s critical time because we say, ‘time is heart muscle,’” she said. “We can save that patient’s heart within that time period.”

Swann said patients experiencing heart attack symptoms should never drive themselves to the hospital as anything can happen on the way. 

Once at the hospital, Kumar said the synergy between the medical teams in the emergency room, cath lab, intensive care unit and others result in better outcomes for patients.

“If one piece goes wrong, that delays treatment,” Kumar said. 

Kumar, Swann and Kaseta all said they’re seeing younger patients coming into the hospital due to heart attacks. 

Kumar said on any given day, there might be 10 to 20 people being evaluated for a potential heart attack. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

When it comes to knees and hips, Ellenton’s Jeffrey Katta first came to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center two years ago for a knee replacement. Working in retail for 45 years, always being on his feet, resulted in pain so intense he couldn’t sleep. 

“I got my first (knee replacement) done, and things went so well, I decided to go for the second one because I was having issues with that,” Katta said. “I was treated like royalty when I was here. They did everything possible to take care of my pain.”

Katta said working with Dr. John Harkess, an orthopedic surgeon at Coastal Orthopedics who is on the medical staff at Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, put him at ease when he was nervous about his initial knee replacement. 

Then when he returned for his other knee replacement in May, Katta said he felt Harkess knew him on a personal level and that helped when he was given his options.

“Even though it’s been two years, I felt like he knew me,” Katta said. “From there, we set up a step-by-step plan of what was going to happen and it just worked like clockwork.”

Katta said he couldn’t believe after his first surgery that he was able to walk the same day. Since his second knee replacement, Katta has been dreaming of walking through his neighborhood again and playing with his grandchildren. 

Harkess said it’s gratifying to be able to help his patients return to doing what they love and see them go from not being able to walk around the block to hiking through the hills in Italy. 

“Usually that first visit turns into kind of a lifetime of follow up, which is really rewarding,” he said. “I love hearing about everything they do after they have their surgery.”

Harkess said joint replacements are becoming more common every year throughout the U.S. 

Caroline McGrath, the orthopedic care coordinator, said the hospital is able to provide individualized care. The education provided prior and post surgery allows the patients to recover in the best way suited to their lifestyle. 

“Being a small hospital, we’re able to treat our patients like an individual,” McGrath said. “It’s not just about their joint replacement. It’s about their lives as a whole.”

Whether it’s heart attack care or a hip or knee replacement, Kaseta and Harkess said the hospital's staff always is looking for ways to improve patient care.