Turkey Creek Medical Center Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients
10/12/2020
American College of Cardiology recognizes hospital for high standards of patient care
KNOXVILLE, TN (October 12, 2020) – For a second consecutive year, Tennova Healthcare’s Turkey Creek Medical Center has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR (National Cardiovascular Data Registry) Chest Pain - MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award. Turkey Creek Medical Center is one of only 124 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.
“This award recognizes Tennova’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients,” said Ravi Mehta, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist with Tennova Heart at Turkey Creek Medical Center. “Further, it signifies our hospital and its accredited Chest Pain Center have met an aggressive goal of treating heart attack patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association.”
To receive the Silver Performance Achievement Award, hospitals must demonstrate sustained achievement in the Chest Pain - MI Registry for four consecutive quarters during 2019 and perform with distinction 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 Silver Performance Award recipient, Tennova 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, M.D., chair of the NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, Turkey Creek Medical Center has demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that nearly 700,000 American 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.
“Our Chest Pain Center’s systematic approach to patient management allows physicians to reduce time to treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack—when treatments are most effective—and to better monitor patients when it is not clear whether or not they are having a coronary event. Such observation helps ensure that patients are neither sent home too early nor needlessly admitted,” Dr. Mehta said.
The NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry empowers healthcare teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines. It also provides 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.
“I am proud of our entire cardiac and emergency medicine team,” said Tony Benton, chief executive officer of Turkey Creek Medical Center. “This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our physicians, nurses, technicians, EMS and other clinicians to provide the best care and therapies for our heart patients.”
Tennova Healthcare offers cardiology services at Turkey Creek Medical Center, North Knoxville Medical Center, Jefferson Memorial Hospital, LaFollette Medical Center and Newport Medical Center. With more than 30 cardiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and other specialists at multiple locations throughout the region, the health system is dedicated to offering better ways to treat and beat heart disease—close to home.
About American College of Cardiology
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) 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 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 www.acc.org.
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