Butler Memorial Hospital Among Nation's Top Performing Hospitals for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

Butler Memorial Hospital Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

American College of Cardiology NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Award recognizes high standards of patient care

Butler, June 10, 2021 – Butler Memorial Hospital has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for

2021. Butler Memorial Hospital is one of only 212 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes Butler Memorial Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that Butler Memorial 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.

To receive the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, Butler Memorial Hospital has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020), 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.

“As a Platinum Performance Award recipient, Butler Memorial 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, Butler Memorial 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.

“It’s a tremendous honor to receive such a prestigious award once, but to do so for a second time makes it all the more impressive”, said Richard Begg, MD, FACC, FSCAI, Medical Director of Cardiovascular Services at Butler Health System. “It’s a testament to the Butler Heart Team.

Heart attacks are one of the main causes of death in our country and treating them successfully is truly a team effort. From early recognition by the patient and their families, to EMS transport, to Emergency room treatment, to catheterization laboratory treatment, and to post procedure recovery, there are a lot of people involved. It’s all made more difficult by the fact that every second counts in successfully treating a heart attack and saving a life. So thank you to all those who give so much of themselves to make this award possible and kudos to Butler Health System for making this level of care possible.”

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. For more, visit acc.org.

About Butler Health System

Located in the rolling hills of Western, PA, Butler Health System (BHS) has remained an independent community health system for over a century and continues to grow to meet the needs of an 8-county region. BHS employs over 3,000 employees and over 270 providers, making it the largest employer in Butler County and the largest healthcare employer in Clarion County.

Butler Health System consists of two hospitals, Butler Memorial Hospital (Butler, PA) and Clarion Hospital (Clarion, PA), 72 outpatient locations throughout Butler, Clarion, Allegheny,

Armstrong, Indiana, Lawrence, Mercer and Venango counties. BHS offers patient’s access to nationally recognized quality care in cardiology, palliative care, and maternity as well a broad range of surgical, medical, emergency, and psychiatric services. In addition to its primary health services, Butler Health System has many partnerships throughout Western Pennsylvania that include Bridges Health Partners, Benbrook Ambulatory Surgery Center, UPMC Cancer Center, BHS FasterCare, Concordia Visiting Nurses and Good Samaritan Hospice, and LIFE Butler County with Lutheran Senior Life.

Butler Health System provides excellent healthcare to the communities that we serve. Our facilities have more than just state-of-the-art technology—we have a team of compassionate and knowledgeable health care professionals. We focus our efforts on making quality care available at an affordable price for our local communities across the region. Our goal is to ensure each patient has the best experience and treatment possible paired with optimal clinical results.