ETMC Tyler receives national recognition from the American Heart Association

Award includes recognition in U.S. News and World Report

ETMC Tyler has been recognized as a silver annual performance award winner for the treatment of coronary artery disease. The American Heart Association is spotlighting ETMC and other hospitals in a special ad in this week’s issue of U.S. News and World Report. Listed hospitals have successfully utilized the AHA’s Get with the Guidelines program for coronary artery disease, heart failure or stroke.  ETMC was recognized in the coronary artery disease category for 12 consecutive months at 85 percent or higher adherence to all performance measures.

Get with the Guidelines
Get with the Guidelines is the premier hospital-based quality improvement program for the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. It empowers healthcare provider teams to consistently treat heart and stroke patients according to the most up-to-date guidelines.

“ETMC implemented the AHA’s Get with the Guidelines program to expand and improve the care we provide in treating coronary artery disease,” said John Stewart, vice president of the ETMC Tyler Cardiovascular Institute. “We are very proud of this recognition by the American Heart Association.”

Chest Pain Accreditation
In 2008, ETMC Tyler received a full three-year accreditation from the Society of Chest Pain Centers as a Chest Pain Center with PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention). PCI refers to a variety of procedures used to restore blood flow in patients with diseased arteries of the heart caused by a build-up of fats, cholesterol and other substances from the blood that can reduce blood flow and lead to chest pain or a heart attack. 

Heart attack facts
Heart attacks are the leading cause of death in the United States, with 600,000 dying annually of heart disease. “The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers is to significantly reduce the morbidity and mortality rate of these patients.  This is accomplished by reducing the time that it takes to receive treatment, improving the appropriateness and effectiveness of treatment, and by educating the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack,” according to Jerrie Hacker, ETMC chest pain center coordinator.