Business & Merchant

Last Updated on Wednesday, 30 July 2025 14:08

UPMC Washington has received the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry Chest Pain - Myocardial Infarction Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2025, earning a place among only 323 hospitals nationwide recognized with this distinction.

The award recognizes UPMC Washington’s commitment to delivering a higher standard of care for heart attack patients. It signifies that the hospital has met or exceeded ambitious performance goals by treating patients in accordance with clinical guidelines established by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

To receive the Chest Pain - MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, UPMC Washington has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain ̶ MI Registry for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024) and performed at the highest level for specific performance measures. By participating in the registry, hospitals engage in a rigorous quality improvement process that uses data to enhance adherence to clinical guidelines and elevate the overall standard of care for heart attack patients.

This year’s platinum designation marks a major milestone in UPMC Washington’s continuous improvement journey — advancing from silver in 2023, to gold in 2024, and now to platinum in 2025. The achievement reflects the organization’s ongoing growth and transformation since becoming UPMC.

“It is an honor to award UPMC Washington with the Platinum Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, M.D., 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 UPMC Washington remains committed to providing top quality, guideline-driven care for heart attack patients. Their success ensures patients are receiving the highest quality cardiovascular care.”

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 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.

“This award is a testament to the exceptional teamwork and clinical excellence of our physicians, nurses and staff,” said Brook Ward, president of UPMC Washington and UPMC Greene. “We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to providing our patients with the highest standard of cardiac 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.

For more information about UPMC Washington’s heart and vascular services, visit www.whs.org.