Loyola Medicine's thoracic surgery program earns highest national rating
April 15, 2026
Categories: Awards & Recognitions, Thoracic Surgery
CONTACT:
Allison Peters
allison.peters@luhs.org
708-216-5500
MAYWOOD, IL – Loyola University Medical Center’s thoracic surgery program again earns the highest possible rating from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS). Loyola has earned a distinguished "better-than-expected", formerly the 3-star rating, from STS for its excellence in patient care and outcomes following lung cancer surgery for the study period of 2022-2025. This rating, which denotes the highest category of quality, places Loyola among the elite thoracic surgery programs in the U.S. and Canada.
Loyola’s cardiothoracic surgery program recognized for quality and better outcomes
The STS General Thoracic Surgery Rating is one of the most sophisticated and highly regarded overall measures of quality in health care, rating the benchmarked outcomes of cardiothoracic surgery programs. Loyola's program achieved an overall composite quality score of 99.4% for lung cancer resection, with much shorter median hospital lengths of stay than the national average, and a 0% mortality rate, outperforming the national average of 0.8%.
Loyola is a top performer in the nation for treatment of complex heart and lung disease
This recognition places Loyola in the top percentile of thoracic surgery outcomes in the nation. The STS National Database is the gold standard for cardiothoracic surgery registries, with nationally recognized quality performance measures for adult cardiac, general thoracic, congenital heart surgery and mechanical circulatory support.
“At Loyola, we pride ourselves on treating the sickest patients with the highest case mix index in Chicago,” said Jeffery P. Schwartz, MD, chair of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. “It’s an honor to be recognized for our patient care and outcomes.”
“I am very proud of each and every member of the thoracic surgery team who has helped us deliver world-class surgical care to our complex lung cancer patient population year after year,” said Zaid Abdelsattar, MD, MS, FACS, chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery. “This recognition underscores our mission to provide our patients with the safest, most effective thoracic surgery care available.”
The STS National Database was established in 1989 as an initiative for quality improvement and patient safety among cardiothoracic surgeons. The Database includes four components: the Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (ACSD), the Congenital Heart Surgery Database (CHSD), the General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTSD), and the mechanical circulatory support database (Intermacs). The GTSD is the largest and most robust clinical thoracic surgical database in the United States and Canada. The STS National Database contains more than 10 million surgical records from 6,000 participating physicians, including surgeons and anesthesiologists, which encompass more than 95% of adult cardiac and congenital heart surgery performed in the U.S.
About Loyola Medicine
Loyola Medicine, a member of Trinity Health, is a nationally ranked academic, quaternary care system based in Chicago's western suburbs. The three-hospital system includes Loyola University Medical Center (LUMC), Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, MacNeal Hospital, as well as convenient locations offering primary care, specialty care and immediate care services from nearly 2,000 physicians throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties. LUMC is a 547-licensed-bed hospital in Maywood that includes the William G. and Mary A. Ryan Center for Heart & Vascular Medicine, the Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, the John L. Keeley, MD, Emergency Department, a Level 1 trauma center, Illinois's largest burn center, the Nancy W. Knowles Orthopaedic Institute, a certified comprehensive stroke center, transplant center and a children’s hospital. Having delivered compassionate care for over 50 years, Loyola also trains the next generation of caregivers through its academic affiliation with Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing.
Established in 1961, Gottlieb Memorial Hospital is a 235-licensed-bed community hospital in Melrose Park that includes the Judd A. Weinberg Emergency Department, the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery and Bariatric Care, Loyola Cancer Care & Research at the Marjorie G. Weinberg Cancer Center, acute rehabilitation, a transitional care center, childcare center and fitness center. Founded in 1919, MacNeal Hospital is a 349-licensed-bed teaching hospital in Berwyn with advanced medical, surgical and psychiatric services and a 68-bed behavioral health program.
For more information, visit loyolamedicine.org. You can also follow Loyola Medicine on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram or X (formerly known as Twitter).
About Trinity Health
Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, faith-based health care systems in the nation. It is a family of 133,000 colleagues and more than 38,900 physicians and clinicians caring for diverse communities across 25 states. Nationally recognized for care and experience, the Trinity Health system includes 92 hospitals, 101 continuing care locations, the second largest PACE program in the country as well as many other health and well-being services. In fiscal year 2025, the Livonia, Michigan-based health system invested $2.9 billion in its communities in the form of charity care, community benefit and other programs and services. For more information, visit us at www.trinity-health.org, or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and X (formerly known as Twitter).