Six Texas Health Resources
hospitals have earned the Mission:
Lifeline quality achievement award for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the American Heart Association for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks.
“This recognition is about much more than meeting criteria; it speaks to the quality care we deliver and represents our commitment to improving the well-being of our patients who suffer from a severe heart attack,” said Barclay Berdan, FACHE, CEO of Texas Health Resources.
“We’re honored that our hospitals and their dedicated caregivers have been recognized for their skill and numerous achievements in cardiac care. We appreciate the work of the American Heart Association, which I’m privileged to serve as board chair of the Tarrant County division,” said Berdan.
Texas Health hospitals earning Mission: Lifeline awards include:
- Texas Health Heart & Vascular Hospital Arlington — Gold Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award.
- Texas Health Hurst-Euless-Bedford — Gold Receiving Quality Achievement Award.
- Texas Health Dallas — Silver Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award.
- Texas Health Denton — Silver Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award.
- Texas Health Plano — Bronze Plus Receiving Quality Achievement Award.
- Texas Health Huguley — Bronze Receiving Quality Achievement Award.
Gold Plus awardees met rigorous criteria,
along with treating at least 36 STEMI patients. The “Plus” designation is used to differentiate those facilities where at least 75 percent of STEMI patients were transferred to them for primary percutaneous intervention (PCI) in 120 minutes or less. When it can be performed in a timely fashion, Primary PCI is the American Heart Association’s recommended triage strategy for STEMI patients.
Each year in the United States, approximately 250,000 people have a STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires time-sensitive treatment. To prevent loss of life, it’s critical to immediately restore blood flow, either by surgically opening the blocked vessel or by giving clot-busting medication.
The American Heart Association’s Mission:
Lifeline program helps hospitals, emergency medical services and communities improve response times so people who suffer from a STEMI receive prompt, appropriate treatment. The program’s goal is to streamline systems of care to quickly get heart attack patients from the first 9-1-1 call to hospital treatment.
Texas Health hospitals earned quality achievement awards by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for the quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients to open the blocked artery. Before patients are discharged, they are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers, and they receive smoking cessation counseling if needed. Eligible hospitals must adhere to these measures at a set level for a designated period to receive the awards.
“We commend Texas Health Resources for all six achievement awards, which reflect a significant institutional commitment to improve the quality of care for their heart attack patients,” said James G. Jollis, M.D., chair of the Mission: Lifeline Advisory Working Group.
“Achieving this award means the hospital has met specific reporting and achievement measures for the treatment of their patients who suffer heart attacks and we applaud them for their commitment to quality and timely care.”
Texas Health and medical staff physicians,
working through the system-wide Heart & Vascular Council, share a vision of making North Texas the vanguard of high-quality heart care for the state. Composed of cardiac care specialists on the medical staffs and Texas Health administrators, the Council works so that all patients in the system’s service area will receive the same quality care, regardless of their location.
For more information about Texas Health Resources, call 1-877-THR-WELL, or visit www.TexasHealth.org.
