CHI St. Vincent Infirmary in Little Rock and CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs have both received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry 2021 Platinum Performance Achievement Award, the organization’s highest rating. The award recognizes CHI St. Vincent’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. The Infirmary and CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs are among only 212 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

“Arkansas rates third in the nation for heart disease related deaths according to the CDC, but Arkansans should know they have access to some of the best heart care teams in the country,” said CHI St. Vincent CEO Chad Aduddell. “Our ministry’s healthcare providers take steps every day to improve our already exceptional care and we’re thrilled to see the Infirmary and CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs both recognized in this way for their ongoing commitment to compassionate care for the communities we serve.”

To receive the Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, both hospitals demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain  ̶   MI Registry for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020), and performed at the highest level 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, CHI St. Vincent 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, and cardiologist at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center. “By meeting the award requirements set forth in the registry, the Infirmary and CHI St. Vincent Hot Springs have demonstrated a commitment to providing reliable, comprehensive treatment for heart attack patients based on current clinical guideline recommendations.”

The Centers 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. 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.

CHI St. Vincent Infirmary was also named the 2020–21 Best Hospital in Arkansas for Cardiology and Heart Surgery by U.S. News & World Report. The leading cardiologists and heart surgeons at the CHI St. Vincent Heart Institute have also been repeatedly recognized for excellence in heart care, including the recent receipt of two distinguished three-star ratings for patient care and outcomes from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.