Two Minnesota hospitals-Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester and Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park-are among the best in the United States for heart care, according to an annual study by Thomson Reuters.

For the first time, the study-which is in its 12th year-singled out 50 hospitals for superior heart care, rather than the traditional practice of naming 100 winners.

The study examined the performance of 1,022 hospitals by analyzing outcomes for patients with heart failure and heart attacks, and for those who received coronary bypass surgery and percutaneous coronary interventions, such as angioplasties.

The top 50 cardiovascular hospitals were divided into three groups: teaching hospitals with cardiovascular residency programs, which Saint Marys was listed under; teaching hospitals without cardiovascular residency programs, which Park Nicollet Methodist was listed under; and community hospitals.

The study found that the hospitals on the list have better risk-adjusted survival rates (33 percent fewer deaths than non-winning hospitals for bypass surgery), lower complications indices (21 percent lower for heart failure complications), fewer patients readmitted in the 30 days following discharge, shorter hospital visits, and lower costs.

According to the results, heart patients at the hospitals that made the list discharge a half day sooner and spend $1,300 less per case than those hospitals that did not make the list.

Last year, three Minnesota hospitals made the list: Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, Fairview Southdale Hospital, and Mercy Hospital.

Earlier this year, Thomson Reuters named four Minnesota hospitals-Woodwinds Health Campus, Mayo Clinic's Rochester Methodist Hospital, St. Cloud Hospital, and Buffalo Hospital-to its top hospitals list, which included 100 general and applicable specialty, short-term, acute care, and non-federal hospitals.

Thomson Reuters employs more than 50,000 people in more than 100 countries. Its legal division is one of Minnesota's largest employers. It employed 6,600 in the state as of June 1.