Gwinnett Medical Center Nationally Recognized for Cardiac Patient Care

Submitted by Gwinnett Medical Center

Last week, Gwinnett Medical Center (GMC) was recognized with an American Heart Association Mission: Lifeline® Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.  The award recognizes GMC’s success in implementing the highest standard of care for heart attack patients. And GMC is the first hospital in Georgia to receive the Gold Plus performance distinction.

Each year in the United States, nearly 300,000 people have the most severe form of heart attack, a STEMI, known as ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. A STEMI occurs when a blood clot completely blocks an artery to the heart. It’s critical to immediately restore blood flow, either by opening the blocked vessel with an angioplasty or by giving clot-dissolving medication. Hospitals involved in Mission: Lifeline are part of a system that makes sure STEMI patients get the right care they need, as quickly as possible. Mission: Lifeline focuses on improving the system of care for these and other heart attack patients.

“Achieving exceptional results for our patients drives us to make the best life-saving decisions ranging from medical diagnosis to technology,” said Phil Wolfe, president and CEO Gwinnett Medical Center. “This recognition reinforces our processes and the skills of our cardiac care experts.”

Hospitals that receive the Mission: Lifeline Gold Performance Achievement Award have demonstrated for 24 consecutive months that at least 85 percent of eligible STEMI patients (without contraindications) are treated within specific time frames upon entering the hospital and discharged following the American Heart Association’s recommended treatment guidelines.

The Plus Award is an additional award provided to receiving centers that meet bronze, silver or gold criteria and in addition are able to achieve first door to device time of 120 minutes or less (for transfers).  Receiving centers must have an achievement score of 75 percent or greater for the plus measure.

As a “STEMI Receiving Hospital,” GMC meets high standards of performance in quick and appropriate treatment of STEMI patients in the Emergency Department and the Cardiac Catheterization labs as well as during the hospitalization. Before they are discharged, patients are started on aggressive risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors, and beta-blockers; they also receive smoking cessation counseling if needed. Hospitals must adhere to these guidelines-based measures at a high level for a designated period of time to be eligible for the achievement awards.

About Gwinnett Medical Center

Gwinnett Medical Center is a nationally-recognized, not-for-profit healthcare network with acute-care hospitals in Lawrenceville and Duluth. Offering cardiovascular, orthopedic and neuroscience specialty care as well as a full continuum of wellness services, GMC’s 4,800 associates and 800 affiliated physicians serve more than 400,000 patients annually. To learn more about how GMC is transforming healthcare, visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org or follow us at facebook.com/gwinnettmedical, twitter.com/gwinnettmedical or youtube.com/gwinnettmedical.

About Mission: Lifeline

The American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit www.heart.org/missionlifelineOpens new window and www.heart.org/qualityOpens new window.