IU Health Ball Ranked Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals For Treatment Of Heart Attack Patients 

The comprehensive cardiovascular team at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital is pictured. Photo providedThe comprehensive cardiovascular team at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital is pictured. Photo provided

By: Courtney Thomas—

Muncie, IN— IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Platinum Performance Award for 2019. The hospital is one of only 225 facilities nationwide to receive the honor. 

The award recognizes IU Health Ball’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that the facility 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, IU Health Ball has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain— MI Registry for sixteen consecutive quarters and has performed at the top level of standards 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, IU Health Ball 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, Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital has demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations.” 

The Center for Disease Control estimates that over 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 rigorous process to earn this award,” said Dr. Wayne Gray, medical director, Heart and Lung Center and cardiac rehabilitation program at IU Health Ball, and chairman of the hospital’s Cardiology Collaborative. “But it’s so rewarding to see the strong collaboration among our different cardiovascular specialties and to see the pride that everyone involved takes in making sure we provide the very best care to each and every patient.” 

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. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital

IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital serves as a tertiary referral center and teaching hospital for East Central Indiana and part of Indiana University Health. IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission and maintains 1.2 million square feet of facilities. It is part of an elite group of hospitals with Magnet designation for nursing excellence. More than 17,700 patients are admitted every year and more than 300,000 outpatient procedures are completed annually. Jeff Bird, MD, is President. Learn more at iuhealth.org/ball-memorial. 

About The American College of Cardiology 

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 52,000 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.