Contact: Gian Galassi, (608) 263-5561, ggalassi@uwhealth.org
MADISON—University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics has been awarded a Platinum Performance Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association for implementing a “higher standard of care” for high-risk heart attack patients.
The National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) ACTION Registry “Get with the Guidelines” (GWTG) Platinum Performance Achievement Award is the highest honor possible for hospitals that followed treatment guidelines for eight consecutive quarters and met a performance standard of 90 percent for specific measures associated with the treatment of severe heart attacks. Some of the registry’s measurements include:
- Critical “door to balloon” (DBT) times—or the amount of time between a patient’s first entry into the hospital to the restoration of blood flow via angioplasty. So far in 2012, UW Hospital has achieved a median DBT of 41 minutes, well below the suggested target DBT of 90 minutes or less.
- Particular medical strategies employed during patient arrival and discharge, including the use of aspirin, beta-blockers, and statins, among others.
- Post-heart attack strategies, including smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation.
“Preventing death and improving the lives of heart attack patients is rewarding enough, but this national recognition confirms that our team is on the right track,” says Dr. Amish Raval, interventional cardiologist at UW Hospital. “Our success is a direct result of the world-class team of health care professionals here who everyday treat their patients as individuals first while guiding their care with scientifically-proven treatments.”
UW Hospital recently implemented a multidisciplinary initiative designed to further improve the quality and timeliness of care for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients across the region. The program addresses the needs of three distinct populations of potential heart attack victims: those who reside in Dane County, those outside Dane County, and those who experience the event in-hospital. UW Hospital is collaborating with local and regional EMS providers and hospitals to help further reduce mortality in patients with STEMI by streamlining the protocol for transfer, treatment and timeliness of care.
The NCDR ACTION registry is an outcomes-based, quality improvement program that helps hospitals apply science-based guideline recommendations and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care for patients with coronary artery disease. The registry is a partnership between the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association with partnering from the American College of Emergency Physicians, Society of Chest Pain Centers and the Society of Hospital Medicine.
The award was presented this week during the American Heart Association conference in Los Angeles.
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