Chester Co. Hospital among nation’s top hospitals for heart attack patients

American College of Cardiology NCDR Chest Pain MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award recognizes sustained, high-level performance in quality of care

Chester County Hospital (CCH) has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2023. CCH is one of only 56 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes CCH’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that Chester County Hospital has 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.

To receive the Chest Pain MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award, CCH has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain MI Registry for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022) and performed at the top 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.

Dr. Timothy Boyek, Medical Director of the Chest Pain Center at CCH says, “It’s gratifying seeing our hospital recognized for our commitment to delivering quality care and improving patient outcomes. Our recognition is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of our heart and vascular care team, nurses, and medical staff and their ability to provide the best heart care to every patient.”

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 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.

“It is an honor to award Chester County Hospital with the Gold Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain — MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “The receipt of this award indicates that they remain committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”

Chest Pain MI Registry empowers healthcare 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.

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 more than 56,000 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.