Valley View Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

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

Valley View has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award for 2020. Valley View is one of only 124 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes the Heart & Vascular Center at Valley View for its commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that Valley View 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.

Frank Laws, MD, medical director of heart & vascular care at Valley View says, “We are incredibly proud of the team at Valley View who care for heart attack patients in our region. Though we are a rural, community hospital, the level of care provided at the Heart and Vascular Center at Valley View is comparable to some of the top institutions in the country. This award demonstrates that skill, and we are honored to have such a talented team serving heart patients in our community.”

To receive the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award, Valley View has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry for four consecutive quarters during 2019 and performed with distinction in 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.

“As a Silver Performance Award recipient, Valley View 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, Valley View 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.

About Valley View

Valley View is an independent, not-for-profit health system based in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Founded in 1955 with funds raised by the community, Valley View Hospital has evolved into a 78-bed multi-disciplinary facility providing a broad spectrum of health services with an integrated network of specialty centers and physician practices, including comprehensive cancer care, an interventional cardiology center and neurosurgical care and orthopedic care. Valley View HealthCare is also located in Eagle, Silt and Willits. Local events and outreach efforts include community health fairs, blood drives, a physician-led education series, a kids and teen safety fair, and Rally the Valley, the signature event of the Valley View Foundation. Valley View is designated as a Planetree facility, representing the highest level of achievement in person-centered care. Valley View has been recognized for performance excellence from Healthgrades, J.D. Power & Associates, Truven Health “Top 100 Hospitals”, Survey Vitals and Consumer Reports. PeopleCare. That’s Valley View. www.vvh.org.

About the American College of Cardiology

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its 54,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.