News Seton Austin Earns Top Honor for Heart Attack Care

Hospital is Only in Central Texas to Qualify for American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline Gold Performance

AUSTIN, Texas - (July 16, 2012) - Seton Medical Center Austin recently qualified for the American Heart Association's (AHA) highest recognition related to the survival and care of heart attacks and is the only hospital in Central Texas to receive the award.

The achievement, known as the Mission: Lifeline Gold Performance Achievement Award, recognizes Seton Austin's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of medical care for patients suffering from a STEMI (ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction), the deadliest type of heart attack.

Every year, almost 250,000 people experience a STEMI type of heart attack. The AHA recognized Seton Austin for demonstrating for 24 consecutive months that at least 85 percent of eligible STEMI patients (without contraindications) are treated within 90 minutes upon entering the hospital and discharged following the AHA's recommended treatment guidelines.

"For heart attacks patients, every second counts. That is why we have spent significant resources to develop processes to address the needs of cardiac patients efficiently and immediately," said Mark Pirwitz, MD, FACC, president and chief executive officer for the Seton Heart Institute, a physician practice group within Seton Healthcare Family with offices located throughout Central Texas including Seton Austin.

Mission: Lifeline seeks to save lives by closing the gaps that separate STEMI patients from timely access to appropriate treatments by focusing on improving the system of care for these patients and at the same time improving care for all heart attack patients.

"This achievement is a measure of our hospital's exemplary performance as well as the performance of the entire system of care including emergency medical service providers," remarked Anne Robinson, MS, RN, network STEMI coordinator for Seton Healthcare Family.

About Mission: Lifeline
The American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline program helps hospitals and emergency medical services develop systems of care that follow proven standards and procedures for STEMI patients. The program works by mobilizing teams across the continuum of care to implement American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology clinical treatment guidelines. For more information, visit heart.org/missionlifeline and heart.org/quality.