Published on August 29, 2011

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital Recognized for Quality Cardiac Care

Three recognitions include awards and waiver extension for life-saving heart attack procedure

Rockville, MD – Shady Grove Adventist Hospital has been recognized for its high-quality cardiac care with three national and state recognitions that include:

• 2011 ACTION Registry-GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association;
• Mission Lifeline: Silver Performance Achievement Award from the American Heart Association;
• Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (pPCI) waiver extension from the Maryland Health Care Commission.

“This recognition of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital’s cardiac program reflects the dedication our physicians, nurses and staff have in identifying and treating heart conditions and in providing the people in our community the best possible cardiac care,” said Dennis Hansen, President of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital.

ACTION Registry GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is one of only 167 hospitals in the nation to earn the ACTION Registry-GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2011 from the American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association (AHA). This award recognizes the hospitals’ consistent, outstanding care to heart attack patients.  To receive this award, Shady Grove Adventist Hospital met or exceeded treatment standards outlined by the American College of Cardiology and the AHA at a performance rate of 85 percent for 24 consecutive months.

The ACTION Registry-GWTG is part of the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) through the AHA that gathers quality data collection and reporting as well as collaborative models and quality improvement techniques for cardiac care. These reports and data allow health care providers to treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines.

Mission Lifeline Silver Performance Achievement Award

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital has also received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline Silver Performance Achievement Award, which recognizes the hospital’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients that effectively improves the survival and care for patients experiencing the deadliest type of heart attack known as STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction).

Every year, almost 400,000 people experience a STEMI heart attack. Unfortunately, a significant number do not receive timely access to appropriate treatments. The Mission Lifeline award signifies that Shady Grove Adventist Hospital met the AHA’s highest goals for quality care over 12 consecutive months. These goals include timeliness of diagnosis and intervention as well as guidelines for discharge that promote the prevention of future cardiac events. This includes risk reduction therapies such as cholesterol-lowering drugs, aspirin, ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers in the hospital and smoking cessation counseling at discharge.

“The goal of our cardiac team is to quickly and efficiently deliver quality care to each heart disease patient who comes to our hospital,” said Dr. Dennis Friedman, Medical Director of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Research at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital.  “We look at prevention, education and treatment as part of our continuum of care for anybody in our community who may be at risk for cardiac and vascular disease.”

Extension of Primary PCI Waiver

Citing Shady Grove’s sustained and high-level performance in caring for heart attack patients, the Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC) extended Shady Grove Adventist Hospital’s two-year waiver to continue performing the life-saving emergency procedure known as primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI), or angioplasty. In Maryland, this waiver is required for hospitals that do not have on-site cardiac surgery, and is only given to those that demonstrate the highest quality cardiac care. In granting the extension, the MHCC took particular note of Shady Grove’s door-to-balloon (DTB) times.

DTB measures the amount of time between when a patient arrives in an Emergency Department and when the first device is used.  The MHCC requires a DTB time of 90 minutes or less for at least 75% of primary PCI patients. In 2010, Shady Grove achieved DTB times of 90 minutes or less for 94% of its patients, with a mean DTB time of 70 minutes.

“When a patient is suffering from a heart attack, minutes matter. These recognitions demonstrate Shady Grove Adventist Hospital’s long-standing commitment to continually deliver quality and rapid care to heart attack patients,” said Debbie Truxillo, Executive Director of Cardiac and Vascular Services. “We encourage anyone who suspects a heart attack to call 9-1-1. The assessment and care that begins in the ambulance will continue immediately with our waiting emergency and cardiac teams when the patient arrives at the hospital.”

These three acknowledgements join the list of recent recognitions that Shady Grove Adventist Hospital has received for its heart care. These include the 2010 ACTION Registry-GWTG Gold Performance Achievement Award for the care of heart attack patients, designation as a Cardiac Interventional Center by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services and Systems (MIEMMS), accreditation as a Cycle II Chest Pain Center and designation as a Primary Stroke Center.

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is a not-for-profit, acute care facility in Rockville, Maryland, with 336 licensed beds. Shady Grove is committed to delivering excellent health care through a ministry of physical, mental and spiritual healing.  The hospital offers a broad range of health services and is recognized for excellence in emergency care; high-risk obstetrical and neonatal care; cardiac and vascular interventional care; oncology care; several surgical specialties; and a number of specialized services for children. The Shady Grove Adventist Emergency Center in Germantown provides emergency medical care to more than 35,000 residents each year. Shady Grove Adventist Hospital is part of Maryland-based Adventist HealthCare, an integrated health care delivery system that is one of the largest employers in the state of Maryland.