Baptist Health Paducah heart attack care receives national performance award
Heart attack treatment at Baptist Health Paducah has been recognized among the nation's best.
(Paducah, Ky.) May 26, 2021 – Heart attack treatment at Baptist Health Paducah has been recognized among the nation’s best by the American College of Cardiology for the ninth year.
Baptist Health is one of only 212 hospitals nationwide to receive the NCDR® (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) Chest Pain-MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award. Platinum status is the highest level awarded. The award recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.
To receive the award, the hospital followed treatment guidelines for eight consecutive quarters and has performed at the top level of standards for specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.
“As a Platinum Performance Award recipient, Baptist Health Paducah has established itself as a leader in setting the national standard for improving quality of care in patients with acute myocardial infarction,” said Michael G. Kontos, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, Baptist Health has demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations.”
The Center for Disease Control estimates more than 700,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year.
A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others.
Chest Pain – MI Registry empowers health care provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk heart attack patients.