Franciscan Health Indianapolis Receives National Chest Pain Designation

INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana - Franciscan Health Indianapolis has received the American College of Cardiology's NCDR Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award for 2021 and is one of only 60 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor.

The award recognizes Franciscan Health's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients in 2020. Further, it signifies that the hospital 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.

"Achieving this annual re-accreditation – particularly during pandemic – is the end result of a journey that establishes new protocols of cardiac care, not only for the patient experiencing a heart attack, but to the low-risk chest pain patient seeking diagnosis and treatment." said Terri Ruff, chief operating officer for Franciscan Health Central Indiana. "More so, it attests to the hard work, commitment and professionalism of our Heart Center team as they care for our patients."

To receive the Chest Pain - MI Registry Gold Performance Achievement Award, Franciscan Health demonstrated sustained achievement in Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry™ for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) and performed at the top level for specific performance measure to receive the 2021 award.

The Center 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. 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.