Northwest Health – La Porte Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

Northwest Health – La Porte Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals for  Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

American College of Cardiology NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award recognizes sustained, high level performance in quality of care

 Northwest Health – La Porte has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2023. This is the highest honor awarded by the American College of Cardiology for the treatment of heart attack patients and Northwest Health – La Porte is one of only 262 hospitals nationwide, and the only hospital in Northwest Indiana to receive the honor.

“This achievement is due to the expertise of the cardiologists, emergency room physicians, nurses, and other caregivers on staff at the hospital,” said Jami Jackson, BSN, RN, chest pain coordinator for Northwest Health – La Porte. “The Chest Pain - MI Registry empowers our health care team to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines. This establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for our patients with coronary artery disease.”

According to the American College of Cardiology, the award recognizes Northwest Health – La Porte’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that Northwest Health – La Porte 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. 

To receive the Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, Northwest Health – La Porte  has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain - MI Registry for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), and performed at the highest level 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.

“It is an honor to award Northwest Health – La Porte with the Platinum Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “The receipt of this award indicates that Northwest Health – La Porte remains committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 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.

About Northwest Health

Northwest Health is a comprehensive healthcare system committed to providing communities in Northwest Indiana with high-quality, accessible healthcare—from highly specialized care and surgical services to more routine primary care. The system of more than 60 access points includes three hospitals, five emergency departments, urgent care centers, outpatient surgery centers, an ambulance service, and physician offices. A team of more than 3,000 employees work together with the more than 700 physicians on its medical staffs. For more information, visit NWHealthIN.com.

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 more than 56,000 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.