Bethesda, Md.—Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine located in Bethesda, Maryland, has received the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) NCDR Chest Pain — MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2019. Suburban is one of only 225 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes Suburban Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that Suburban 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, according to the ACC. 

To receive the Chest Pain — MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, Suburban had to demonstrate sustained achievement in the Chest Pain — MI Registry for eight consecutive quarters and has performed at the top level of standards 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.

“This highly prestigious award reflects the dedication and hard work of our talented team who are committed to excellence,” said Gregory Kumkumian, MD, FACC, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians Heart Care.

“This award is a tribute to the amazing efforts of the entire hospital system, from the time the patient arrives in the Emergency Department, through their cardiac catheterization, and then their post-procedure management in the Cardiology Unit,” said Eric Lieberman, MD, FACC, Johns Hopkins Community Physicians Heart Care.

According to Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center, “As a Platinum Performance Award recipient, Suburban Hospital has established itself as a leader in setting the national standard for improving quality of care in patients with acute myocardial infarction. By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, Suburban Hospital has demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations.”
 
The Center for Disease Control estimates that over 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.

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.

About Suburban Hospital

Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine, is a community-based, not-for-profit hospital serving Montgomery County and the surrounding area since 1943. The hospital is a regional trauma center with centers of excellence in cardiovascular care, stroke and neurosciences, orthopedics and oncology. Suburban Hospital’s unique affiliation with the National Institutes of Health, located across the street from the hospital, has brought world-class research from the laboratory to the bedside, providing the local community with round-the-clock access to the most advanced diagnostic and treatment protocols for stroke, heart attack and other clinical conditions. For additional information, visit: suburbanhopsital.org.

About The American College of Cardiology

s 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 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.