Butler Memorial Hospital is one of only 212 hospitals nationwide to receive the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry’s Chest Pain Myocardial Infarction Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2021.

The award recognizes Butler Memorial Hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients, and signifies that BMH is treating patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

To receive the award, BMH demonstrated 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, chairman 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,” Kontos said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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, 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.”