Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Presbyterian Hospital recently qualified for the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Bronze Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes Presbyterian Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients that effectively improves the survival and care of patients.
Every year, almost 400,000 people experience a STEMI heart attack. Unfortunately, a significant number do not receive prompt reperfusion therapy, which is critical for restoring blood flow. Mission: Lifeline seeks to save lives by closing the gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments. Mission: Lifeline focuses on improving the system of care specifically for STEMI patients as well as all heart attack patients.
Hospitals involved in Mission: Lifeline strive to improve care in both acute treatment measures and discharge measures. Systems of care are developed that close the gap of timely access to appropriate, lifesaving treatments. Before they are discharged, appropriate patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, and receive smoking cessation counseling.
Hospitals that receive the Mission: Lifeline Bronze Performance Achievement Award have, for 90 consecutive days, treated at least 85 percent of eligible STEMI patients (without contraindications) within specific time frames upon patient arrival and discharged these patients following the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines.
“What is special about this award and makes it challenging to achieve is that it isn't just about what an individual hospital does with STEMI care, but also how well they work with their local EMS,” said Jason Bernd, VP of Cardiac Services at Presbyterian Hospital. “Presbyterian is dedicated to making our cardiac unit among the best in the country, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that by making it easier for our professionals to improve the outcomes of our cardiac patients. We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care.”
This was the first year that Mission: Lifeline awards were given, and it was not possible to achieve at the gold level for the initial year. Very few hospitals nationwide achieved at the silver level -- and none in North Carolina. Presbyterian Hospital was one of just eight in the state of North Carolina to achieve the bronze designation.
