Baptist Health Lexington receives American Heart Association accreditation for acute cardiac care
Baptist Health Lexington has received the American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline® Heart Attack Receiving Center Accreditation.
Baptist Health Lexington has received the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline® Heart Attack Receiving Center Accreditation. The hospital is one of only two facilities in Kentucky to currently hold this accreditation; sister hospital Baptist Health Louisville is the other.
The accreditation program — provided by the American Heart Association — recognizes centers that meet or exceed quality of care measures for people experiencing the most severe type of heart attack, ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), in which blood flow is completely blocked to a portion of the heart. The accreditation identifies healthcare facilities that meet specific criteria for lifesaving heart attack treatments that restore blood flow.
This is the third consecutive Mission: Lifeline® Heart Attack Receiving Center Accreditation for Baptist Health Lexington. The hospital was the first in Kentucky to receive the accreditation in 2012.
“Baptist Health Lexington is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack, and the American Heart Association’s Mission: Lifeline program continues to help us accomplish that goal through internationally respected clinical guidelines,” said Susan Mobley, RN, BSN, MBA, NE-BC, vice president of cardiovascular services. “We are pleased to be recognized for our dedication and achievements in cardiac care, and I am very proud of our team.”
Baptist Health Lexington underwent reviews by accreditation specialists from the American Heart Association. Key areas in which the hospital demonstrated exceptional quality of care to receive accreditation include:
• Expertise, facilities and equipment to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), where a small balloon is inserted through a catheter to open narrowed or blocked blood vessels in the heart (coronary arteries)
• PCI readiness on a 24/7 basis
• Coordination with emergency medical services (EMS) and referring centers (non-PCI) to prepare for immediate treatment when STEMI patients arrive
• Facilitation of STEMI patient transport participation in a multidisciplinary team with representatives from EMS, cardiac catheterization lab, quality improvement, coronary care unit, physician and nursing staff, meet regularly to identify challenges and make continuous care improvements.
The American Heart Association’s overall goal for Mission: Lifeline® Heart Attack Receiving Center Accreditation is to significantly reduce cardiac death in patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to early symptoms of a heart attack, reduce the time it takes to receive life-saving treatment and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment administered.