Medical center among nation’s best in recognizing, treating heart attack

The Nebraska Medical Center has received the 2018 Silver Performance Achievement Award from the ACTION Registry of the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry. The medical center is one of only 95 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

“This national award by the American College of Cardiology recognizes the commitment and dedication of the personnel at Nebraska Medical Center to provide the highest level of patient care,” said Edward O’Leary, M.D., Chest Pain Center medical director and associate professor in cardiology, UNMC Department of Internal Medicine. “It is truly inspiring and amazing to watch all the teams come together for the care of these patients.”

To receive the ACTION Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award, Nebraska Medical Center has demonstrated sustained achievement in the ACTION Registry for four consecutive quarters and has performed at the top level of standards 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.

“The Department of Internal Medicine is proud of the achievements of the Cardiovascular Medicine Division and its colleagues at Nebraska Medicine who achieved this recognition in their quest to deliver the best possible care for their patients,” said Debra Romberger, M.D., Henry J. Lehnhoff Professor and chair of the UNMC Department of Internal Medicine. “This designation recognizes a commitment to excellence and to teamwork.”

Participating in the ACTION Registry has allowed Nebraska Medical Center to benchmark its performance and optimize care delivery for its heart attack patients.

“Our performance throughout 2017 demonstrates a consistent approach to guideline-directed therapy and adhering to national standards,” said Melissa Lederer, Heart and Vascular Chest Pain Center coordinator. “Internal improvement efforts hinged on using our ACTION Registry results to evaluate outcomes and our ability to provide safe, effective care.

“Our Chest Pain Center team has done a tremendous amount of work to establish an evidenced-based regional system of care through strong collaboration with our Emergency Medical Services and our community-hospital providers. We’re proud of all of the work that has been done to improve processes for this patient population.”