NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum award recognizes high standards of care

September 30, 2016 – Sharon Regional Medical Center announced that it has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR ACTION Registry–Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2016. Sharon Regional is one of only 223 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes Sharon Regional’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that the organization 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.

Sharon Regional Medical Center, CEO, Jason Roeback said, “This award recognizes the dedication and commitment of our medical staff, nursing professionals and other support services personnel across our entire health system who continuously strive to provide the highest level of cardiac care to our patients. It further supports our goal to be known as the region’s ‘heart care’ hospital by the community members we have the privilege of serving.”

To receive the ACTION Registry–GWTG Platinum Performance Achievement Award, Sharon Regional consistently followed the treatment guidelines in the ACTION Registry–GWTG Premier for eight 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.

“As a Platinum Performance Award recipient, Sharon Regional Medical Center has shown it is a leader in implementing standards of care and protocols for its patients,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, M.D., M.P.H., FACC, FAHA, Chair, ACTION Registry-GWTG Chair; Executive Director of Interventional Cardiovascular Programs, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Heart and Vascular Center; and Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School. “By meeting the requirements set forth in the registry and establishing a culture of providing guideline-recommended therapy, Sharon Regional is saving lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients.”

The Center for Disease Control estimates that over 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.

ACTION Registry–GWTG is a partnership between the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association with partnering support from the American College of Emergency Physicians and the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. ACTION Registry-GWTG 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 Sharon Regional Medical Center 
Sharon Regional Medical Center has provided health care services to the region for more than 120 years. Mercer County’s largest hospital and healthcare system consists of a 251-bed Joint Commission accredited hospital, along with 22 satellite centers in Sharon, Hermitage, Mercer, New Castle, and Hubbard. Sharon Regional offers specialized services including Behavioral Health, Breast Care, Cancer Care, Diabetes, Emergency Care with specialized stroke and heart attack care, Mercer County’s only open heart/angioplasty/advanced heart care and accredited primary stroke center, Rehab, Sleep Medicine, Sports Medicine, Inpatient Rehabilitation, School of Nursing, School of Radiography, Wound Center, and Women’s Center.

The American College of Cardiology is a 52,000-member medical society that is the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team. The mission of the College is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College operates national registries to measure and improve care, offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions, provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research and bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet stringent qualifications. For more, visit ACC.ORG.