Atlanta (June 7, 2021) – Six Piedmont Healthcare hospitals have received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Performance Achievement Awards for 2021. Piedmont Fayette and Piedmont Newnan both received the Platinum Performance Achievement Award; Piedmont Athens Regional received the Gold Performance Achievement Award; and Piedmont Atlanta, Piedmont Rockdale and Piedmont Henry all received the Silver Performance Achievement Award.
Piedmont accounted for over half of the hospitals in Georgia (6 of 11) recognized by the American College of Cardiology for commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. These awards signify that Piedmont Healthcare and Piedmont Heart have reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.
At Piedmont, we take great pride in providing high-quality, patient-centered care to the communities our hospitals serve,” said Charles L. Brown III, M.D., CEO of Piedmont’s Physician Enterprise. “Piedmont has strategically grown its cardiovascular services throughout it’s healthcare system. We have been able to greatly improve the outcome of our patients needing rapid intervention for these patients with heart attacks, which has been shown to be life-saving. It is an honor to be recognized by the American College of Cardiology for the quality of care we are providing to our patients and community suffering from heart disease.”
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that almost 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.
“As a Performance Award recipient, Piedmont Healthcare hospitals have established themselves as leaders in setting the national standard for improving quality of care in patients with acute myocardial infarction,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, Piedmont has demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations.”
To receive the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Performance Achievement Award, Piedmont Healthcare hospitals have had to perform at the highest level 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.
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.
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About The American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.