Main Line Health hospitals nationally recognized for cardiovascular care

Stethoscope on a doctor's white desk on cloudy morning

All four of Main Line Health's acute care hospitals are the recipients of the 2021 American Heart Association (AHA) Mission: Lifeline award. Each hospital independently received these recognitions by implementing quality improvement measures that ensure cardiovascular patients receive efficient and coordinated care, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer returns to the hospital.

Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital and Riddle Hospital received the Mission: Lifeline Receiving Center Recognition Gold Plus Award and Paoli Hospital received the Mission: Lifeline Receiving Center Recognition Gold Award. Riddle Hospital's EMS team also received the Mission Lifeline – EMS Gold Plus recognition.

"I am extremely proud of Main Line Health for this recognition from the AHA. Main Line Health is dedicated to improving the quality of care for our patients who suffer a heart attack. The Mission: Lifeline program helps put proven knowledge and guidelines to work on a daily basis to improve outcomes for cardiovascular patients," said Jack Lynch, President and CEO, Main Line Health.
Nearly half of all adults in the U.S. have experienced some form of cardiovascular disease – including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. For patients with conditions that are severe enough to be transported or admitted to a hospital, time is critical.

The American Heart Association's Mission: Lifeline program helps reduce system barriers to prompt treatment for heart attacks, beginning with the 9-1-1 call, to EMS transport and continuing through hospital treatment and discharge. Optimal care for heart attack patients takes coordination between the individual hospital, EMS and healthcare system. The initiative provides tools, training and other resources to support heart attack care following protocols from the most recent evidence-based treatment guidelines.

William A. Gray, MD, System Chief of Cardiovascular Diseases and President of Lankenau Heart Institute, added, "We are extremely honored to receive this prestigious recognition from the AHA. It is the culmination of a lot of teamwork, attention to optimizing processes, and dedication to providing the best care possible to heart attack patients---regardless of where they enter Main Line Health."

"EMTs and paramedics play a vital part in the system of care for those who have heart attacks," said Robert P. Girardeau, MSM-HCA, NRP, FP-C, System Director, Emergency Medical Services & Patient Transportation Services at Main Line Health. "Since they often are the first medical point of contact, they can save precious minutes of treatment time by activating the emergency response system that alerts hospitals to an incoming heart attack patient."

The awards are presented to hospitals for implementing specific quality improvement measures outlined by the AHA for the treatment of patients who suffer severe heart attacks. Main Line Health hospitals earned the award by meeting specific criteria and standards of performance for quick and appropriate treatment through emergency procedures to re-establish blood flow to blocked arteries in heart attack patients coming into the hospital directly or by transfer from another facility.

About Main Line Health

Founded in 1985, Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the Philadelphia region and beyond. Main Line Health consists of five hospitals, six health centers and over 150 medical practice locations. The System has more than 14,000 employees and over 2,100 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.

At its core are four of the region's most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as one of the nation's premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine, Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital. Main Line Health also includes Mirmont Treatment Center for drug and alcohol recovery; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice, providing skilled home healthcare, hospice and home infusion services; Main Line Health Centers, primary and specialty care, lab and radiology and other outpatient services located in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square; and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a biomedical research organization.

Main Line Health's medical staff benefits from a collaborative relationship including independent physicians, community healthcare professionals and hospital-based experts from Main Line HealthCare, the employed multi-specialty physician network of Main Line Health.

Main Line Health collaborates with top experts to deliver exceptional specialty care. Through our affiliation with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, doctors and advanced practice providers care for pediatric patients at select Main Line Health locations, including the neonatal intensive care units at Main Line Health's four acute care hospitals, as well as Bryn Mawr Hospital's Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care, and trauma surgeons provide critical care to our patients. Through our affiliation with Sheppard Pratt — a nonprofit provider of mental health services, substance use, developmental disability and other comprehensive behavioral health support — patients receive compassionate care in a welcoming environment.

For more information, visit mainlinehealth.org and connect with us on social media:

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/main-line-health
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mainlinehealth
X (formerly known as Twitter): www.twitter.com/mainlinehealth
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mainlinehealth

About Lankenau Heart Institute

Lankenau Heart Institute is Main Line Health's premier comprehensive cardiovascular program, bringing together the collective expertise of cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and advanced practice providers across all four of the System's acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital. Through a coordinated approach, Lankenau Heart Institute offers a full continuum of high-quality cardiovascular care, from prevention and diagnostics to advanced treatments and rehabilitation, delivered with a commitment to excellence in outcomes and patient experience.

A leader in innovation, Lankenau Heart Institute is at the forefront of minimally invasive and transcatheter procedures for coronary revascularization, valve repair and replacement, complex aortic surgery and the treatment of advanced heart failure and arrhythmias. Its pioneering work in robotic-assisted and beating-heart techniques and minimally invasive valve repair continue to shape the future of cardiovascular care. With a robust and growing presence in national clinical trials, its physicians regularly participate in groundbreaking research focused on the latest therapies, technologies and procedures, focusing primarily on less invasive approaches.

Contact

Phil Ellingsworth, Jr.
Director, Communications
Office: 484.580.1182
EllingsworthPh@mlhs.org