07/15/2026
Triple recognition places Texas Health Fort Worth among the nation’s elite cardiac surgery centers, reflecting continued growth in quality, outcomes, and program excellence.
Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth has achieved the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ (STS) highest possible three-star rating simultaneously across three distinct cardiac surgery categories — a rare accomplishment that places the program among a select group of top-performing cardiac surgery centers in the United States and Canada.
The three-star rating is the gold standard in cardiothoracic surgery quality. Few programs nationwide achieve this distinction in even a single category. Earning it across three categories at once reflects an exceptional and sustained level of clinical performance, patient safety, and outcomes consistency.
Categories Earning Three-Star Distinction:
• CABG Overall (Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting) — Surgery that restores blood flow to the heart by bypassing blocked or narrowed coronary arteries.
• CABG + AVR Overall (Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting + Aortic Valve Replacement) — A combined procedure addressing both impaired heart blood flow and a diseased aortic valve — among the most complex operations in cardiac surgery.
• Multi-Procedure Overall — A composite rating reflecting outcomes across multiple cardiac surgery types, including high-risk and complex cases.
“This is a defining moment for our program and for every patient who trusted us with their care,” said Moritz C. Wyler von Ballmoos, MD, PhD, System Chairman of Cardiovascular & Thoracic Surgery for Texas Health Resources and Physician Executive Chairman of the Heart & Vascular Service Line for Texas Health Harris Methodist. “Last year, earning the STS three-star designation for the multi-procedural metric set us apart as a top-performing program in North America. To now see that standard of excellence extend across multiple individual procedure categories reflects the depth of our team’s commitment, and strong collaboration across all disciplines and all phases of care to deliver consistent, high-quality care for every patient.”
Dr. Wyler von Ballmoos also credits the recognition to a coordinated, multi-year transformation of the cardiac surgery program, with expansion of services to higher complexity and acuity cases, a more standardized, evidence-based approach to surgical care pathways, a newly launched Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program proven to reduce complications, shorten hospital stays, and accelerate recovery, a comprehensive minimally invasive cardiac surgery program — encompassing CABG, valve, and aortic procedures — that expands options for patients.
“This national achievement is another testament to the cardiac care provided at Texas Health Fort Worth,” said Jared Shelton, FACHE, hospital president. “Everyone here is driven by a commitment to provide exceptional patient care with compassion — from the physicians on the medical staff, to nurses, to each and every hospital employee.”
These results are the product of sustained investment in people, process, and innovation across the Texas Health Resources system. Under Dr. Wyler von Ballmoos’ leadership, the cardiac surgery program and heart and vascular service line continue to grow procedural volumes, cut readmission rates, and reduce average length of stay — all while raising the bar on quality, now placing Texas Health Resources among the nation's top-ranked cardiovascular programs.
“Meaningful improvement at this level doesn’t happen by accident,” said Dr. Wyler von Ballmoos. “It happens when office staff, physicians, APPs, nurses, and administrators are all aligned around a single goal: exceptional outcomes for every patient, every time.”
The STS star rating system — calculated from risk-adjusted outcomes data submitted to the STS Adult Cardiac Surgery Database — is widely regarded as the most rigorous independent quality benchmark in cardiothoracic surgery. Ratings are based on a rolling three-year analysis covering hundreds of quality and safety measures.
For patients in Fort Worth and across North Texas, this recognition translates directly into access to highly experienced cardiac surgeons performing complex procedures, advanced surgical options, including minimally invasive and hybrid approaches that reduce recovery time and risk, and consistently superior outcomes — including lower complication rates, fewer readmissions, and shorter hospital stays — as validated by independent national data.
“Our patients and their families deserve to know that the care they receive here is held to the highest standard in the country,” said Dr. Wyler von Ballmoos. “And for that I want to recognize the incredible efforts of our teams make every day at Texas Health Fort Worth”.
