West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center Earns Highest Award from American College of Cardiology
Jackson, TN (PRWEB) September 16, 2014 -- The West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital has achieved the highest award offered by the American College of Cardiology for high-risk heart attack patient treatment.
The ACTION Registry-GWTG Platinum Performance Achievement Award was bestowed only to those hospitals that maintained a performance measure score of 90 percent or better in the treatment of acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) patients for eight consecutive quarters, ending in the last quarter of 2013.
West Tennessee Heart & Vascular
Overall Performance Composite 99.3%
STEMI Performance Composite 99.3%
NSTEMI Performance Composite 99.3%
Discharge Performance Composite 99.3%
STEMI is the abbreviation for an “ST-elevation myocardial infarction.” A STEMI heart attack is recognized by a test called an electrocardiogram that records the electrical activity of your heart. NSTEMI is a shorthand term for “non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction.” These types of heart attacks are often abbreviated as “NSTEMI.” While they may not be as serious as the STEMI heart attack, they are still heart attacks and result in heart muscle death.
This is the third major quality recognition West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center has received this year. Earlier the hospital received national recognition for its echocardiography services, won reaffirmation for the highest level of accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care.
“We treat more heart attack patients than any other hospital in Tennessee, but as this award shows it is not how many we treat it is how well that matters most to us,” said Deann Montchal, vice president of hospital services.
“The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association commend West Tennessee Heart and Vascular Center for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols. This is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients,” said James Jollis, MD, FACC, ACTION Registry-GWTG Chair and Professor of Medicine and Radiology at Duke University Hospital.
West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center’s compliance with standards outlined by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association as well as strategies for streamlined processes of transferring patients from nearby facilities were factors that boosted the platinum score the hospital received.
“Our hospital receives heart attack patients transferred from all over West Tennessee. Although we are above the national trend to receive patients from outreach facilities, we strive to improve the amount of time it takes to get heart attack patients into our care where our cardiologists can start treatment immediately,” Montchal said.
West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center provides complete cardiovascular care, from open-heart surgery to state-of-the-art minimally invasive procedures. West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center has outreach clinics in Dyersburg, Tenn., Lexington, Tenn., and Paris, Tenn., where patients receive a consistent care from cardiologists who connect them to the center’s services in Jackson.
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 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.
West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center’s Compliance with standards outlined by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association as well as strategies for streamlined processes of transferring patients from nearby facilities were also factors that affected the platinum score the hospital received.
West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center partners with Medical Center EMS and Air Evac Lifeteam to host a STEMI conference and drills to teach best practices in heart attack treatment at participating hospitals in West Tennessee.
At a surprise STEMI drill earlier this year, the total transfer time from Milan General Hospital to a team ready to start treatment at the JMCGH Chest Pain Center with PCI was 98 minutes, well under the American Heart Association standard of 120 minutes.
About West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center:
West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center provides complete cardiovascular care, using state-of-the-art minimally invasive procedures when appropriate. West Tennessee Heart & Vascular Center has outlying clinics in Dyersburg, Tenn., Lexington, Tenn., and Paris, Tenn., where patients receive attentive care from cardiologists who connect them to the center’s services in Jackson.
About West Tennessee Healthcar e:
Modern Healthcare magazine listed West Tennessee Healthcare as one of the top 10 largest public, not-for-profit healthcare systems in the U.S. The system employs more than 5,000 people. With locations throughout 18 counties, West Tennessee Healthcare is a family of healthcare services that provides a full range of care.
Kristen Roberson, Younger Associates, +1 (731) 668-7367, [email protected]
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