Main Line Health hospitals nationally recognized for cardiovascular care
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.
"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
Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the greater Philadelphia region. The System comprises five hospitals, seven health centers, more than 160 outpatient and physician practice locations, over 14,500 employees and more than 2,200 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health includes four of the region’s most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, one of the nation’s premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine. The System also includes Mirmont Treatment Center, which provides treatment and support for substance use disorders; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice; Main Line HealthCare, its employed multispecialty physician network; Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a leading biomedical research organization; and Main Line Health Centers offering primary and specialty care, lab, radiology and other outpatient services in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Devon, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square.
Main Line Health brings together physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, researchers and other healthcare professionals across a broad network of inpatient, outpatient, home-based and community-based services. Through this integrated approach, the System delivers high-quality, comprehensive care across the continuum — from primary care and preventive services to complex specialty, surgical, trauma, emergency, rehabilitative, behavioral health, home care and hospice services — with a focus on making care accessible in the communities where people live and work.
Main Line Health also collaborates with leading clinical partners to expand access to specialized care. Through its affiliation with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, pediatric care is provided at select Main Line Health locations, including neonatal intensive care units at its acute care hospitals and Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists also provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care.
About Lankenau Heart Institute
Lankenau Heart Institute is Main Line Health’s premier comprehensive cardiovascular program, bringing together cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons and advanced practice providers across the System’s four acute care hospitals: Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital. Through a coordinated approach, the Institute offers a full continuum of high-quality cardiovascular care — from prevention and diagnostics to clinical trials, advanced treatments and rehabilitation — with a commitment to excellence in outcomes and patient experience.
A nationally recognized leader in innovation and exceptional clinical outcomes, 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 and robotic valve repair continues to shape the future of cardiovascular care. With a robust and influential presence in national clinical trials, its physicians regularly participate in groundbreaking research focused on new therapies, technologies and procedures, primarily through less invasive approaches.
Contact
Phil Ellingsworth, Jr.Director, Communications
Office: 484.580.1182
EllingsworthPh@mlhs.org