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MENTOR HOSPITAL STATUS Institute for Healthcare Improvement Designates
Saint Agnes with Mentor Hospital Distinction Saint Agnes Medical Center is among an elite group of hospitals nationwide – and among only three in California – named by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) as a Mentor Hospital for Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI), otherwise known as heart attack. IHI is a national leader in the establishment and achievement of quality standards for hospitals and health care organizations, and may be best known for its 5 Million Lives Campaign, a nationwide initiative to protect patients from 5 million incidents of medical harm. |
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"We are thrilled to invite Saint Agnes Medical Center to be a Mentor Hospital,” says Jordana Pickman, IHI’s Western Region Field Coordinator. “We invite hospitals that have demonstrated great improvement results, are excited about the work they’ve done, and have great teaching spirit. We saw that at Saint Agnes.” With the IHI Mentor Hospital designation for heart attack care, Saint Agnes will be looked to for support, advice, clinical expertise, and tips by hospitals seeking help with their own efforts. Hospitals that achieve this distinction by IHI are reviewed for certain AMI protocols, such as ensuring the administration of aspirin and beta-blockers on admission and discharge and ACE inhibitors as appropriate, counseling smokers to quit, and achieving commendable door-to-balloon times (D2B). Of particular note is Saint Agnes’ D2B times – the time from when a patient enters the Emergency Department through the time it takes to open the blocked artery. The sooner blood flow can be restored, the less permanent damage to the heart. At Saint Agnes, the average D2B time in 2008 was 55 minutes, with a Saint Agnes record of 14 minutes. The national recommendation by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association is 90 minutes. “This means Saint Agnes is one of the top in the country in terms of providing state-of-the-art evidence-based therapy for acute myocardial infarction. Saint Agnes is now considered an example for all other institutions in the country of how to effectively take care of patients with AMI with the latest evidence-based medicine,” says cardiologist Robert Bennett, a longstanding member of Saint Agnes Medical Center’s AMI Committee. “Most institutions struggle to achieve times less than 90 minutes.” To learn more about the IHI Mentor Hospital Program, visit its Web site. To read more about the IHI Five Million Lives Campaign visit to Saint Agnes Medical Center, read the attached blog. In addition to being recognized by the healthcare industry for its clinical quality, Saint Agnes has earned the Consumer Choice Award from the National Research Corporation for 14 consecutive years, ranking as the best hospital in the San Joaquin Valley and among the top hospitals in the country for overall quality. Fresno Bee readers also voted Saint Agnes as the area’s best hospital for the fifth consecutive year with the newspaper’s People’s Choice Awards. |
Kevin Niederfrank's quick response to heart attack symptoms, early intervention by paramedics on the way to the hospital, and expedited treatment in the Saint Agnes ER and Cath Lab helped save his life and protect precious heart muscle.
To learn about another impressive Saint Agnes door-to-balloon time (D2B) of 36 minutes, read the attached article in Health Scene magazine.
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