(West Chester, PA) – Chester County Hospital has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain-MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award for 2021. Chester County Hospital is one of only 132 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.
The award recognizes Chester County Hospital’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.
In receiving the Chest Pain-MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award, Chester County Hospital has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain̶ MI Registry for four consecutive quarters during 2020 and performed with distinction in 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.
"As a Silver Performance Award recipient, Chester County Hospital has established itself as a leader in setting the national standard for improving quality of care in patients with acute myocardial infarction," said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain–MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. "By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, Chester County Hospital has demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations."
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that almost 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. 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.
Dr. Timothy J. Boyek, Medical Director of the Chest Pain Center at Chester County Hospital, says "Chester County Hospital has seen an exponential growth of acute cardiology care over the last year. Delivering rapid and ACC Guideline Care to EVERY heart attack victim that enters the hospital has demonstrated the true power of community integration and collaboration with Emergency Medical Services, Emergency Department clinicians and our advanced Cardiovascular Center team. All are even stronger with the advanced capabilities of our new and procedural platform."
Dr. Boyek adds "A consistent example of this has been the unbelievable achievement of being able to open a totally occluded coronary artery for a critically ill patient in the throes of an active heart attack with times from ED door arrival to vessel opening in the Catheterization Laboratory often in the 30-minute range." He also calls attention to the fact that even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic this nationally recognized care to our community has not waivered. "I fully expect our hospital to continue this difficult but truly lifesaving endeavor to achieve the highest possible standards for heart attack care thanks to our commitment to team work and serving our community."
Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry 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.
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 54,000 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.
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About Chester County Hospital
Founded in 1892 as the county’s first hospital, the non-profit Chester County Hospital has grown into a 248-bed acute-care inpatient facility in West Chester, PA. It also has outpatient services in nearby Exton, West Goshen, New Garden, West Grove, Jennersville, and Kennett Square, PA. In 2013, Chester County Hospital became part of Penn Medicine, which is one of the world's leading academic medical centers, dedicated to medical education, biomedical research, and excellent patient care. In addition to quality-driven medical and surgical services, Chester County Hospital also offers home health, inpatient hospice and skilled nursing care; occupational medicine; outpatient laboratory, radiology and physical therapy services; wound care; cardiopulmonary rehab; and a prenatal clinic for the underserved. In 2020, Chester County Hospital completed the largest expansion in its history. The project welcomed a state-of-the-art procedural platform with 15 operating room suites, a 99-bed patient tower, a new main entrance and an expanded and renovated Emergency Department. Learn More About Chester County Hospital >>