Hackensack Meridian Health Among Nation’s Top Healthcare Networks for Heart Attack Treatment

Five Hackensack Meridian medical centers received the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC) NCDR Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, joining just 259 hospitals nationally, another received the Gold Performance Achievement Award and two others the Silver Award for 2024. The award recognizes the medical centers’ commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies they have reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the ACC/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.

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.

Hackensack Meridian medical centers achieving recognitions, include the following.

Platinum Performance Achievement Award

• Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, NJ
• JFK University Medical Center in Edison, NJ
• Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, NJ
• Ocean University Medical Center in Brick, NJ
• Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, NJ

Gold Performance Achievement Award

• Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin, NJ

Gold Performance Achievement Award

• Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, NJ
• Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, NJ

To receive the Platinum Performance Achievement Award, the Hackensack Meridian medical centers demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry for two consecutive years (2022 & 2023), and performed at the highest level for specific performance measures. For the subsequent awards, Gold and Silver, the medical centers participated in the MI Registry for shorter periods of time and performed with distinction in specific performance measures.

“It is an honor to award these Hackensack Meridian medical centers for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, M.D., FACC, chair of the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Steering Subcommittee, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “The receipt of this award indicates that they remain committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”

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.

“The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year,” said Elizabeth A. Maiorana, MBA, MSN, R.N., CCCC, vice president, Cardiovascular Care Transformation Services, Hackensack Meridian Health. “Our Hackensack Meridian medical centers are dedicated to providing the best, life-saving care to people who suffer a heart attack, as well as diagnostic and medical services for our patients to prevent heart events, like a heart attack or stroke from occurring.”

For more information about Hackensack Meridian Health’s cardiovascular services, visit www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/heartcare. To schedule a CT Calcium Scoring scan or AngioScreen testing, which provide early detection of heart disease risk, or for a free physician referral, call 844-HMH-WELL.