CHI St. Vincent Infirmary of Little Rock, part of CHI St. Vincent’s leading regional health network serving Central and Southwest Arkansas, has received the American College of Cardiology’s 2024 NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award, and its Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI. Both honors recognize CHI St. Vincent for its success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients.

CHI St. Vincent is one of only 80 hospitals nationwide to receive the NCDR Chest Pain – MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award, which honors the hospital for its standard of treating heart attack patients as outlined by clinical guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association.

The ACC’s Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI recognizes the hospital for its high standards for treating patients with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also known as coronary angioplasty.

“We are deeply honored to receive both of these awards,” said Chad Aduddell, CHI St. Vincent Market President-Arkansas. “This award reflects our team’s dedication to providing top-tier care for heart attack patients and our commitment to excellence in cardiovascular care.”

To receive the Chest Pain – MI Registry Silver Performance Achievement Award, CHI St. Vincent had to demonstrate sustained achievement in the Chest Pain – MI Registry for four consecutive quarters during 2023 and perform with distinction in specific performance measures. Full participation in the registry engages hospitals in a robust quality improvement process using data to drive improvements in adherence to guideline recommendations and overall quality of care provided to heart attack patients.

“It is an honor to award CHI St. Vincent Infirmary with the Silver Performance Award for their valuable national leadership and dedication to meeting comprehensive performance measures in patient care,” said Michael C. Kontos, MD, FACC, 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 CHI St. Vincent 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 Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI is awarded to hospitals after rigorous onsite evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack. Hospitals that have earned ACC Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation have proven exceptional competency in treating patients with heart attack symptoms and have primary PCI available 24/7 every day of the year.

“CHI St. Vincent has demonstrated its commitment to providing Central Arkansas with excellent heart care,” said Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, FACC, chair of the ACC Accreditation Management Board. “ACC Accreditation Services is proud to award CHI St. Vincent with Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI Accreditation.”

The two recognitions confirm the exceptional care and standard of excellence for cardiology treatment at CHI St. Vincent. In July, CHI St. Vincent was ranked the No. 1 heart program in the state of Arkansas by U.S. News & World Report for the fourth consecutive year.