Altru Among Nation’s Top Performing Hospitals for Treatment of Heart Attack Patients

American College of Cardiology NCDR Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award recognizes sustained, high level performance in quality of care 

Grand Forks, N.D.  ̶  Altru has received the American College of Cardiology’s NCDR Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award for 2023. Altru is one of only 262 hospitals nationwide to receive the honor. 

“Altru continues to be a haven of health for patients who suffer heart attacks,” said Dr. Josh Deere, president of Altru Health System. “Our patients can count on our team to heal their hearts with the latest and greatest technologies.”  

The award recognizes Altru’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients and signifies that Altru has reached an aggressive goal of treating these patients to standard levels of care as outlined by the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association clinical guidelines and recommendations.  

To receive the Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry Platinum Performance Achievement Award, Altru has demonstrated sustained achievement in the Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry for two consecutive years (2021 and 2022), and performed at the highest level for 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 Altru with the Platinum 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 Altru 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 Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 800,000 Americans suffer a heart attack each year. A heart attack occurs when a blood clot in a coronary artery partially or completely blocks blood flow to the heart muscle. Treatment guidelines include administering aspirin upon arrival and discharge, timely restoration of blood flow to the blocked artery, smoking cessation counseling and cardiac rehabilitation, among others. 

Chest Pain  ̶  MI Registry empowers health care provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high-risk heart attack patients. 

The American College of Cardiology envisions a world where innovation and knowledge optimize cardiovascular care and outcomes. As the professional home for the entire cardiovascular care team, the mission of the College and its more than 56,000 members is to transform cardiovascular care and to improve heart health. The ACC bestows credentials upon cardiovascular professionals who meet stringent qualifications and leads in the formation of health policy, standards and guidelines. The College also provides professional medical education, disseminates cardiovascular research through its world-renowned JACC Journals, operates national registries to measure and improve care, and offers cardiovascular accreditation to hospitals and institutions. For more, visit acc.org.   

About Altru Health System  

Based in Grand Forks, N.D., Altru Health System is an independent, non-profit healthcare organization. We are physician-led, with over 300 providers and 55 specialties of care. Altru boasts an acute care hospital, specialty hospital, level II trauma center and more than two dozen practice locations throughout northwest Minnesota and northeast North Dakota. Altru was the first member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, extending Mayo Clinic expertise to the patients we serve. Altru employs over 3,600 staff and providers who are empowered to fulfill Altru’s vision of providing world-class care to the residents of our region. For more information, visit altru.org.