SEATTLE – (Sept. 28, 2016) – Virginia Mason has received the 2016 American College of Cardiology Platinum Performance Achievement Award for the treatment of heart attack. It is one of only 223 hospitals nationwide to be recognized.

The award affirms Virginia Mason treats heart attack patients to levels of care recommended by American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association clinical guidelines.

“Our emergency department, cardiology team and hospital team work together every day to deliver the best possible care and the best possible outcomes for our patients,” said Drew Baldwin, MD, medical director for Quality, Virginia Mason Heart Institute. “Receiving this award is an acknowledgment of our dedication to excellence.”

“As a Platinum Performance Award recipient, Virginia Mason has shown it is a leader in implementing standards of care and protocols for its patients,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, chair of the ACTION Registry, a risk-adjusted, outcomes-based quality improvement program supported by the American College of Cardiology and American Hospital Association. “By meeting the requirements set forth in the registry and establishing a culture of providing guideline-recommended therapy, Virginia Mason is saving lives and improving outcomes for heart attack patients.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year about 735,000 Americans suffer a heart attack. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival at the emergency department and discharge from the hospital, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling; and cardiac rehabilitation, among others.

About Virginia Mason Health System
Virginia Mason, founded in 1920, is a nonprofit regional health care system based in Seattle that serves the Pacific Northwest. In the Puget Sound region, the system includes 336-bed Virginia Mason Hospital; a primary and specialty care group practice of more than 500 physicians; regional medical centers in Seattle, Bainbridge Island, Bellevue, Federal Way, Kirkland, Issaquah and Lynnwood; Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled-nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the U.S. designed and built specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS; Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research; and Virginia Mason Institute, which trains health care professionals and others from around the world in the Virginia Mason Production System, an innovative management methodology for continually improving quality, safety and efficiency. Virginia Mason online: VirginiaMason.org

Virginia Mason Health System also includes Yakima-based Memorial Family of Services and Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, a 226-bed facility serving the Yakima Valley in Central Washington since 1950. Memorial Family of Services comprises primary care practices and specialty care services, including high quality cardiac care, a continuum of cancer care, hospice care, and advanced services for children with special health care needs. Memorial online: YakimaMemorial.org

Media Contact:
Gale Robinette
Media Relations Manager
Virginia Mason Health System
(206) 341-1509
gale.robinette@VirginiaMason.org