Saratoga Hospital lauded by American Heart Association
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. >> Saratoga Hospital recently announced it is the recipient of the Mission: Lifeline® Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.
Opened in 2017, the hospital’s Interventional Cardiology Program earned this recognition following its second year of 24/7 emergency cardiac services.
Every year in the United States, more than 250,000 people experience an ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), the deadliest type of heart attack, caused by a blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, it’s critical to restore blood flow as quickly as possible, either by mechanically opening the blocked vessel or by providing clot-busting medication.
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program’s goal is to reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge.
The initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.
Saratoga Hospital earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility. Through the affiliation with Albany Med, Saratoga Hospital has the confidence and resources to offer this high level of emergency cardiac intervention service.
“Saratoga Hospital is dedicated to providing optimal care for heart attack patients right here in Saratoga Springs, 24/7, close to home, when minutes matter,” said Theodoros Laddis, MD, FACC, chief of Saratoga Hospital Medical Group’s Division of Cardiology, in a press release “That’s why we worked so hard to create the Interventional Cardiology program.
“To receive this recognition for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care through Mission: Lifeline in just our third year of operation is an honor and validates our commitment to quality care.”
Rocco D. Grella, MD, medical director of Interventional Cardiology at Saratoga Hospital added, “Our greatest reward is seeing the lives we’re impacting each day since we opened. Our physicians and staff are dedicated to help our patients achieve the best possible outcomes. To that end, we continually review every step in our processes, measuring response time, working closely with first responders, and implementing the American Heart Association /American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines/Mission: Lifeline program, putting proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis.”
Tim Henry, M.D., chair of the Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome Subcommittee commended Saratoga Hospital for this award in recognition for following evidence-based guidelines for timely heart attack treatment.
He said in the release, “We applaud the significant institutional commitment to their critical role in the system of care for quickly and appropriately treating heart attack patients.”