Jersey Shore University Medical Center Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

American College of Cardiology NCDR Chest Pain ? MI Registry Bronze Award recognizes high standards of patient care

Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain - MI Registry Bronze Performance Achievement Award for 2020. The academic medical center is one of only 35 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes Jersey Shore University Medical Center’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that the medical center 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.

“As a nationally accredited Chest Pain Center, our specialists collaborate to rapidly diagnose and treat heart attacks quickly,” said Vito Buccellato, MPA, LNHA, chief hospital executive, Jersey Shore University Medical Center. “I’m happy that our team was acknowledged for their efforts with this achievement award.”

Jersey Shore University Medical Center has demonstrated sustained achievement in eight consecutive quarters through 2017-2018 and remained in good standing with the Chest Pain – MI Registry during the report cycles in 2019 to receive this 2020 award. 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.

“I’m proud of the Chest Pain Center team’s commitment to excellence,” said Kenneth N. Sable, M.D., MBA, FACEP, Hackensack Meridian Health regional president, southern market. “They and our comprehensive cardiovascular team continue to provide Monmouth and Ocean counties’ most advanced cardiac services.”

“As a Bronze Performance Award recipient, Jersey Shore University Medical Center 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, Jersey Shore University Medical Center 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 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.

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.