Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR ACTION Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2018, serving as one of only 37 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

“This award shows Piedmont Athens Regional’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for our heart attack patients,” said Robert Sinyard, MD, Piedmont Athens Regional’s chief medical officer. “It signifies Piedmont Athens Regional’s commitment to treating its patients with the high-quality standards of care outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association’s clinical guidelines and recommendations.”

To receive the ACTION Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award, Piedmont Athens Regional has demonstrated sustained achievement in the ACTION Registry for eight 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 Gold Performance Award recipient, Piedmont Athens Regional has shown it is a leader in implementing standards of care and protocols for its patients,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, Chair, ACTION Registry; Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center; and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “By meeting the requirements set forth in the registry and establishing a culture of providing guideline-recommended therapy, Piedmont Athens Regional is saving lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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.

“Piedmont Athens Regional is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack,” Dr. Sinyard said. “We’re pleased to be recognized for achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our committed team.”