CUMBERLAND, Md., May 30, 2023 — For the third consecutive year, UPMC Western Maryland has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award and is one of only 262 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor in 2023.

The award recognizes UPMC Western Maryland’s commitment to implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies its success in reaching an aggressive goal of treating these patients as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

To receive the Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, UPMC Western Maryland has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), and performed at the highest level 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.

“It is an honor to award UPMC Western Maryland with the Platinum Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, M.D., F.A.C.C., chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “The receipt of this award indicates that UPMC Western Maryland remains committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that over 800,000 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.

“This is the third year in a row that we have received this prestigious award from the American College of Cardiology, and it is a testament to our continual dedication to excellence” said Christopher Haas, D.O., medical director of cardiology. “The care delivered by UPMC Western Maryland is consistently at or above the national standards, and our team is dedicated to being the best choice for our heart patients, year after year. Ultimately, our greatest reward is returning our heart attack patients back to their lives and families.”

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.