AHN Cardiovascular Institute Earns Highest Accolades from American College of Cardiology, Society of Thoracic Surgeons for Excellence in Cardiac Care

Allegheny Health Network’s (AHN) Cardiovascular Institute has earned its latest accolades from the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) for the quality of its care across cardiac arrest and surgical care cases, respectively.

AHN Jefferson and West Penn were named among the nation’s top performing hospitals for treatment of heart attack patients, earning the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR®) Chest Pain – MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement award. For patients with acute myocardial infarction, the award takes into consideration factors such as response time, surgical outcomes, medical therapies after discharge and proper referrals to cardiac rehabilitation.

Allegheny General Hospital (AGH), the network’s flagship cardiovascular hospital, was also recognized for excellence in mitral valve repair/replacement (MVRR), receiving the maximum three-star rating from STS. The designation follows the hospital’s April announcement of earning the same rating for care across transcatheter aortic valve replacement (AVR), coronary bypass grafting (CABG) and aortic valve replacement with CABG. This latest three-star rating from the STS puts AHN’s cardiac surgery program among the most elite, nationwide; less than 10 percent of STS registry participants receive the three-star rating for AVR and CABG surgery.

Jefferson and West Penn join just 130 hospitals across the country to receive the honor from the ACC, and AGH is the only facility in western Pennsylvania with a maximum three-star rating across four surgical categories.

“The AHN Cardiovascular Institute, system-wide, has a proven track record of optimal patient outcomes, adherence to clinical guidelines and overall quality of patient experience. These recognitions are a testament to our outstanding clinicians and their unmatched expertise, which is especially noteworthy against the current backdrop of heart disease rates across the country,” said Stephen Bailey, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon and co-chair of AHN Cardiovascular Institute.

Earlier this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported remarkable increases in fatalities for heart disease and diabetes, stating that 2020 deaths caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD) showed the biggest increases in the last two decades. The jump, of more than 3%, surpassed the less than 1% increase seen in 2015.

“The increase of fatalities for CVD was in part caused by patients delaying either emergency or preventative care due to fear of COVID-19 transmission, which in turn impacted long-term outcomes,” said Chong Park, MD, cardiothoracic surgeon and president of AHN Jefferson. “As a health system, we continue to make a concerted effort to encourage our cardiac patients to schedule their annual wellness visits or if heart attack symptoms are present, head to the emergency room immediately. Today’s announcement is a great opportunity for us to instill even more confidence in the public and highlight our team’s ongoing reputation of world-class, safe care.”

AGH, Jefferson, and West Penn participate in respective registries to report out on clinical outcomes as well as their framework for rapid adoption of clinical guidelines and process improvement plans. Together, these areas provide a comprehensive picture of the patient experience and overall quality of care which is then compared to other health systems nationwide.

“As a Silver Performance Award recipient, these respective AHN facilities have established themselves as leaders in setting the national standard for improving quality of care in patients with acute myocardial infarction. By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, they have demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center.

“From diagnosis and prevention to acute care and surgical teams, the AHN Cardiovascular Institute continues to be a national leader for highly-specialized cardiac care,” said Srinivas Murali, MD, cardiologist and AHN system chair of the department of cardiovascular medicine. “Year after year, the AHN cardiovascular teams earn prestigious recognitions for their ongoing work to deliver outstanding, multidisciplinary patient care and we couldn’t be more proud of their latest achievement.”

For more information on the AHN Cardiovascular Institute, visit ahn.org.