The American College of Cardiology has recognized Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) for its commitment to and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients.
Less than 6 percent of U.S. hospitals received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2015.
“VUMC is proud to receive the Platinum Performance Achievement Award, the highest achievement award possible,” said Joseph Fredi, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine and director of the cardiovascular intensive care unit.
“This award reflects the dedication and excellent work of VUMC staff that care for some of our most critically ill patients. Vanderbilt Heart and Vascular Institute (VHVI) remains dedicated to the mission of consistently delivering the best possible care for our patients, and this honor reflects that commitment.”
To receive the award, VHVI consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the ACTION Registry–GWTG Premier for eight consecutive quarters and met a performance standard of 90 percent 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.
“The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association commend Vanderbilt for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols.
The full implementation of acute and secondary prevention guideline-recommended therapy is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients,” said James Jollis, M.D., ACTION Registry-GWTG chair and professor of Medicine and Radiology at Duke University Hospital.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 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.
ACTION Registry–GWTG is a partnership between the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, with partnering support from the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.
ACTION Registry-GWTG empowers health care provider teams to 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.