Mountain View, Calif. – July 9, 2018 – El Camino Hospital announced today it has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR ACTION Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2018. El Camino Hospital is one of only 203 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.
The award recognizes El Camino Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for patients experiencing a heart attack. The Center for Disease Control 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. The award also signifies the hospital’s cardiovascular team has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to optimal levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.
“This recognition signifies the commitment our program has for adhering to the highest standards of care for heart attack patients. I am grateful to the impressive team effort this represents, our local EMS combined with our talented Emergency Room, Cardiac Catheterization Lab, Intensive Care Unit nurses and physicians working in synergy for the best outcomes for patients in our community,” said Dr. Chad Rammohan, medical director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at El Camino Hospital and a Palo Alto Medical Foundation physician.
To receive the ACTION Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, El Camino Hospital has demonstrated sustained achievement in the ACTION Registry for eight consecutive quarters and has performed at the top level of standards for specific performance measures. To ensure early diagnosis and treatment of patients, the registry measures door to first ECG within 10 minutes of arrival in patients with chest pain and door to balloon within 90 minutes in patients with ST elevations on their ECGs. Additionally, it includes measures to assure that heart attack patients have a secondary prevention and wellness plan in place prior to leaving the hospital, such as referral or access to outpatient cardiac rehabilitation program, echocardiogram evaluation of heart muscle function, and an optimized medication regimen that includes aspirin, beta blocker, and high intensity statin. 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 patients with a heart attack.
“As a Platinum Performance Award recipient, El Camino Hospital has shown it is a leader in implementing standards of care and protocols for its patients,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, Chair, ACTION Registry; Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center; and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “By meeting the requirements set forth in the registry and establishing a culture of providing guideline-recommended therapy, El Camino Hospital is saving lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients.”
ACTION Registry empowers care teams to consistently treat patients according to the most current, evidence-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.
What does this mean for our patients?
Patients experiencing a heart attack who come to El Camino Hospital have 24/7 access to comprehensive heart care and experienced surgeons. Our Norma Melchor Heart & Vascular Institute offers the latest advanced diagnostic modalities and treatment options to minimize complications, lower risks and promote a quicker recovery. We exceed national hospital averages for emergency heart attack treatment and heart bypass surgery. Our goal is to help patients survive their heart attacks, improve their health and return to their lives as quickly as possible.
The American College of Cardiology is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College and its more than 52,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more, visit acc.org.