News at UI Health

UI Health has been recognized with the American Heart Association (AHA) awards for quality and commitment to providing rapid, research-based care to people experiencing a heart attack.

The Cardiology Program at UI Health was awarded the Mission: Lifeline^® NSTEMI Gold and Mission: Lifeline^® STEMI Receiving Silver awards for meeting care criteria guidelines for ST-elevation myocardial infraction (STEMI), a serious type of heart attack, and non-ST-elevation myocardial infraction (NSTEMI), which involve blockage of the coronary arteries.

To qualify for Mission: Lifeline^® NSTEMI Gold, hospitals must have achievement scores of 85% or greater regarding cardiac rehab referral from an inpatient setting; ACEI/ARB at discharge; left ventricular systolic function evaluations; and smoking cessation counseling. They also must have an achievement score of 65% or greater for dual antiplatelet therapy on discharge.

UI Health earned the Mission: Lifeline^® STEMI Receiving Silver by meeting an achievement score of 75% or greater regarding arrival to PCI in less than 90 minutes; aspirin, beta blockers, and ACEI/ARB at discharge; in addition to cardiac rehab referral from inpatient settings.

Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines such those associated with the Mission: Lifeline program. UI Health’s dedication to providing optimal care for heart attack patients ultimately leads to fewer readmissions to the hospital, shorter recovery times, and, most importantly, more lives saved.