SAN ANTONIO, Texas, June 20, 2014 — Methodist Hospital, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and Northeast Methodist Hospital have received the Mission: Lifeline® Bronze Receiving Center 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.
Each year in the United States, approximately 300,000 people have a STEMI, or ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, caused by a complete blockage of blood flow to the heart that requires timely treatment. To prevent death, 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 get 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.
“Methodist Healthcare is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program is helping us accomplish that goal through internationally respected clinical guidelines,” said Cheryl Kirchner, RN, BSN, MS CPHQ, division vice president for quality at Methodist Healthcare. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team.”
“We commend Methodist Hospital, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and Northeast Methodist Hospital for this achievement award, which reflects a significant institutional commitment to improve the quality of care for their heart attack patients,” said A. Gray Ellrodt, MD, Chair of the Mission: Lifeline committee and Chief of Medicine at the Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. “All too many heart attack patients in the United States still fail to receive appropriate treatment for their life-threatening condition within the recommended timeframes. We must all continue this important work to streamline and coordinate regional systems of care to save lives and prevent complications.”
Methodist Hospital, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and Northeast Methodist Hospital earned the award 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.
Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and Northeast Methodist Hospital are campuses of Methodist Hospital.
About Methodist Healthcare of San Antonio
Methodist Healthcare System – San Antonio is the largest provider of health care in South and Central Texas with 26 facilities including nine hospitals serving 93,000 inpatients and 350,000 outpatients annually. The Methodist Healthcare team is comprised of 8,000 employees, making Methodist Healthcare the third largest private employer in San Antonio. The Texas Quality Foundation selected Methodist Healthcare to receive the 2014 Texas Award for Performance Excellence. Methodist Healthcare is the first and only health care system in South Texas to receive this award which requires an organization to demonstrate its commitment to the highest quality standards. Methodist Healthcare has won the National Research Foundation’s Consumer Choice Award for 14 consecutive years, more times than any other health care provider in Texas. For the past six years, Methodist Healthcare has received “Best Hospital” Gold Award in the San Antonio Express-News’ Readers’ Choice Awards. With more than 2,700 credentialed physicians, Methodist Healthcare provides the largest array of medical services in the region including neurosurgery, cardiovascular services, oncology and women’s services.
About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology Foundation clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit heart.org/missionlifeline and heart.org/quality.