Kansas University Hospital’s heart surgery program ranks among the nation’s top programs for cardiac care, according to ratings compiled by the Society of Thoracic Surgeons.

The society has given the hospital three stars – the highest possible rating – for quality of cardiac surgery, a standing attained by 15 percent of the 746 hospitals that were part of the analysis of national data from 2006.

“This rating is testimony … to the excellence of our heart center and our cardiothoracic surgery program,” said Dr. Michael Gorton, a cardiothoracic surgeon. “Our patients can be assured they are receiving the highest quality care available in the country.”

The society used its National Adult Cardiac Surgery Database, established 20 years ago, to compare the quality of cardiac surgery among hospitals across the country.